A Chance to Get it Right
by rowansmuse
Summary: There's about to be a full on war in the South Side of Riverdale but will the Serpents be ready for an onslaught of nightmares waged by the Ghoulies and a potential mystery threat? What changes are in store for Sweet Pea and Betty as danger grows and Betty has to team up with Jughead to solve a mystery once again? Sequel to my fics Follow Your Heart Until it Sticks and Formalities.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome to the next installment of my Sweet Bee story arc. This follows my other fics Follow Your Heart Until it Sticks and Formalities.

Chapter 1: A flashback

It was the day before the winter formal and Jughead knew better than to plan on going. Even though most of his friends were excited about a chance to go to a school dance, he just had too much work to do. Tonight he had to go to the basketball game to cheer on Archie, he had an article due on Monday for the school paper that he would probably have to be writing Saturday night, and now his phone was blowing up in his pocket which means Serpent trouble. He was sitting in the student lounge with Toni and Fangs during free period trying to have a couple of minutes to themselves but the insistent buzzing in his jeans made him have to look. When he slipped his phone out of his pocket he could see he had three missed calls and two texts. He cleared the calls, all either members or friends of the Serpents, and read his messages from his dad.

Of course, he thought to himself, fucking Ghoulies again. Their rival gang was so different from them in every way. The Serpents were fine living in peace but the Ghoulies were just there for power and chaos, not a family like they were. And it seemed like Malachi was everywhere these days, that piece of crap who calls himself their leader, just popping his head in all over the Southside to say 'hi' and destroy something or someone. From the looks of things his dad needed him now but he still had one class left.

He looked at Fangs and Toni, thinking about asking for their help; but he hated to pull any of them out of school, especially when they were so close to graduating. Just then Sweet Pea and Betty walked into the lounge and came over to sit with them. As Betty settled into the couch next to Toni and her beau on the sofa arm, Jughead made up his mind that he should let them all be and head out himself. Toni and Betty had to cheer that night, which as he said he had to leave, he realized he was probably going to end up missing Archie's game. Thus was the life of the 'king'. The girls gave him a quizzical look as he grabbed his bag to go to the nurse and have his dad release him sick; he couldn't wait until he was 18 and could just sign himself out.

He texted his dad that he needed to stand by for a phone call as he went down the hall. He played his best 'I'm going to throw up' act and the nurse promptly got him sent home. This had been a pretty normal thing for him to have to do these days and he thought the nurse was actually starting to worry about him. Really she should be worried if he was going to even pass his last period math class so he could graduate. Math was his worst subject, the one he really couldn't afford to be missing as he was already taking it for the second time. But if is his dad needed him, he was going to be there.

He got on his bike to race over to the site of the old Drive Inn which was where his dad said to meet him. He held his breath as he turned the last curve and saw the scene that must have unfolded and hour or so ago. One of the older Serpents lay in the dirt and as Jughead got off his bike and got closer, he could see he had been beaten up pretty badly with some thing big like a baseball bat. There was blood spattered in the immaculate snow that surrounded them. FP was trying to help him to his feet while two other members where pulling his bike right side up.

"Boy!" FP yelled across the field to him. "Go get somebody's truck. He ain't walking out of here."

Jughead shook his head and ran as fast as he could to Fang's mom's trailer. When he pounded on her door, she answered in ratty sweats, looking like she had just been woken up. He asked if he could borrow his truck real quick ad that it was an emergency. Mrs. Fogherty grunted but still handed over the keys.

He drove the truck back over to the lot and help the other three men haul the man, Getty, into the truck bed.

"So where should I take him? Riverdale General or the Whyte Wyrm?" Jughead asked.

"Well," FP said trying to wipe blood off of his hands with a rag from his jacket, "I don't think I can stitch this one up myself unfortunately."

"So, the hospital it is. Are you coming with me?"

"Probably should. You will need help walking in there," he said shutting the tailgate. "Are you going to be OK back there, Getty?"

"I'll survive if you get me to the damn hospital before tomorrow! Quit your jabbering and get me the hell out of here!"

Jughead hurried into the passenger seat of the truck and slammed the door behind him. FP slid into the truck and started it moving in what seemed like one fluid motion.

"What the hell happened back there?" Jughead asked.

"Apparently Malachi just can't keep his hands clean, beating an innocent man senseless. What are we going to do about it? We can't keep being silent on the Ghoulies issue."

"I still don't know. I don't want everyone to know it's this bad, it will just cause a panic. We need to go in to this with a level head and a plan."

"Like your plan for Penny Peabody?"

"Since when did you of all people become opposed to a little violence?"

FP just grunted as a response and stared at the road for what seemed like hours. He could see the hospital right ahead and he moved into the parking lot. Both of them got out to carry Getty from the truck inside. Each took one side of him and luckily, the man had enough strength to walk with the help.

They got him inside and handed him off to a nurse with a wheel chair at admissions. They wheeled him away quickly while he and Jughead tried to fill out the patient information card. It was pretty standard things like name and address, birthday, insurance and next of kin of both which he had none.

Jughead took the clipboard back to the desk, admitting he did not know his social security number. The nurse said it was all right and would get it from him himself. Jughead sat back down with his dad in the waiting room. They had chosen chairs behind a large plant and were almost not seen from the door. This made it the perfect place to finish their conversation as long as they spoke quietly.

Jughead took off his hat, flattened his hair, and put it back on while sighing. This was the hardest part of being in charge of the Serpents. Every member was under his protection and he was not doing the best job right now. There had been a silent outbreak of crimes just like this in the Southside but he had chosen to not bring it to the whole club's attention. He thought maybe not doing anything about it would make the Ghoulies just leave them alone, but that tactic was not working. Most of the guys knew that there had been a few sightings of Malachi around town but it was to be expected as they had been in a turf war for months. Even at his dad's insistence, he had not done anything to retaliate, only to defend. Something more drastic had to happen but he was out of ideas.

Honestly, he just needed help. Under the leadership of his dad, most of the original Serpents who held offices in the club, who made up the Serpent council had passed away and instead of appointing new officers, FP had just started doing most of the work himself. The stresses eventually got to him and he started drinking and a lot of stuff started going by the wayside. He took more and more off the cuff jobs, anything for the money and with no council to say no, things started to unravel into the disorganized debauchery that the club had become when his mom decided to take his sister and move. This spurred more drinking and impulsive decisions. Jughead couldn't do it the way his dad did. He still had so many responsibilities outside of the Serpents that he just did not want to give up on, he decided right then and there he needed to reinstate a Serpent council; at least a vice president to help him and maybe a treasurer to do the book. Maybe a couple of older guys who could help give him input on making decisions so he didn't act out of desperation like he had with Penny Peabody.

"What would you say, if I reinstated the Serpent Council?"

FP looked at his kid. He looked tired. He knew this was a lot for a teenager, he had been a bit older when he took over the Serpents and it wasn't easy then. He threw everything he had into it, trying to impress his father who died shortly after, and tried to do it all himself. Maybe he could have been a better father if he had made time for his family instead.

"That might not be the worst idea. You'd have some help, people to bounce ideas off of besides your old man."

"I'd want you to be on it. I know your 'retired' and everything but you aren't. You handed the crown over to me but here you are running operations while I am in school. It makes it look like you are still just running everything and slapping my name on it. If you had a position, I think it conveys a different message."

"I'd do it. It just as to get voted on. Who else do you think you want?"

"I'm not sure. I need someone tough for VP; someone who would be my enforcer. Someone die hard loyal to the Serpents but will challenge me if they think I am doing something shitty."

"Now, don't be offended by this, but what about Sweet Pea?"

Jughead looked at his dad incredulously. "Really?"

"Hear me out: When you were off doing your own thing, he was the one of the kids that stepped up to help me out the most. He did anything I ever asked because he cares about the Serpents."

"I don't think he would even consider it. I think he still hates my guts no matter how I have tried to smooth things over."

"Eh he's just like that with everyone."

"No, he's not. Not with Fangs, not with Toni. Definitely not with Betty. It's so weird when he is with her, he's like, kind. I didn't even think he could be like that."

"He is loyal above all else. You might be surprised what he would agree to. Ask him. Don't just catch him off guard with a nomination."

"Fine. I will ask him."

Just then, Sheriff Keller walked into the waiting room and Jughead slunk into his seat. He didn't trust the man farther than he could throw him because he had not always been forth coming in some of his journalistic investigations. He took off his hat and headed up to the admissions counter. He and the nurse exchanged words quietly but you could see that her answers irritated him. She pointed over to Jughead and FP and tapped the desk twice before heading over to them.

"So, Jones, would you care to share what happened to your friend? He won't tell anyone what happened to him."

Jughead shifted in his seat uncomfortably as FP answered him. "I don't know, Tom. I just found him like that and I high tailed it here."

"How about you, Jughead? Do have any information to share about this being the third member of your gang you've admitted the hospital this month?"

"No, sir. String of bad luck is all. Wrong place, wrong time."

The Sheriff gripped his hat tight enough to crack it in half but his face remained composed. "Well if you have any problems that you want to share with Riverdale's finest, you know where to find me," he said putting on his hat and leaving the hospital in a huff.

"Great," Jughead sighed, "all we need it attention from the fucking Sheriff's office."

"Just keep cool, kid. But we have to act soon before this escalates. You know how this goes; the next person might not be able to walk out of this hospital."

"I know. I just have to get a handle on the situation."

"Better get that genius cap on fast, boy."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:Promotion

It had just been seconds that Betty and Sweet Pea had left her house and the tension from dinner with her mom was already starting to dissipate. Betty shivered a little as it had gotten very brisk now that the sun was setting. Betty closed her eyes as she rode on the back of Sweet Pea's bike and smelled the air around her. If cold had a scent, Riverdale on a January evening was it. It was a smell that she had memorized as a girl while building a late night snowman or snow angel and was now pleasantly brought back in this moment. Riverdale wouldn't fully thaw until Easter but they were in the middle of calm break in the weather and the streets were not icy but slushy and it made a 'squish' sound on their tires. Betty squeezed into Sweet Pea tightly when they came down with a light 'thump' on the other side of the railroad tracks into the Southside.

Pulling in to the bar parking lot she finally let her arms loose so that when they stopped she could take off her helmet and get down. Sweet Pea got a drop cloth out of his saddlebag and draped it over his bike in case it snowed and they headed inside.

Just inside the door Betty heard Toni laughing at the bar and she made a bee line to her.

"I'll see you in a second," Sweat Pea said kissing her cheek before heading to the back of the bar to look for Jughead.

"Sure," she replied stepping up the bar and sitting down on a stool next to Fangs who was the one who had been making Toni laugh when they came in.

He took a sip from a beer before acknowledging her. "Hey, Pony Tail," he said raising his eyebrows at her.

Toni playfully hit his arm and told him to cut it out. She filled a glass with ginger ale for Betty and as she slid it across the bar to her, her eyes got wide and lit up.

"What. Is. That?"

Betty looked down at herself confused, thinking she maybe had spilled on herself. "Huh?"

"That!" Toni all but shouted as she touched Sweet Pea's pin on her jacket.

'Right,' Betty thought to herself. 'Now I get to go through this with my friends now too.'

"Well," she started, "It's Sweet Pea's."

"Holy fuck; For real? When did that happen? Why didn't either of you tell me?"

"What a sap." That came from Fangs.

"Yeah, he gave it to me last night when we were at Cheryl's."

"Ooh, that's what he meant. He told me he wanted to do something special for you. I'm so happy for you guys," Toni said reaching over to pull her lapel closer so she could look at the pin closer. "That is so cool."

Fangs turned on his stool and looked at her. "So you guys are really serious?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just not the kind of thing I expected from him, I guess. He's like me, a wolf."

"Well I guess his hunting days are over. At least for now," Toni said, scolding him.

Across the bar, Sweet Pea was sitting in FP's old office that Jughead had pretty much taken up residency in for the last few weeks. He was sunk down into the old, green armchair with stuffing spilling out the side waiting for Jughead to stop rifling through a stack of papers on the desk looking for his pay envelope. Jughead looked stressed to the max and his normally cool demeanor had melted away. He never knew what was running through that beanie clad brain was thinking but he just assumed the worst.

"Damn it, I had it out here earlier. Ope, here," he said finally pulling it out from under his math text book. He handed the Sweet Pea the envelope and he opened it and thumbed through the cash inside. It wasn't what he had expected. He looked through it again quizzically because it was more than he had been owed from their last job.

"I think you need to spend more time in that book there," he said taking five twenty dollar bills out of the envelope and trying to hand them back to Jughead.

"No, it's right. There is actuallt something that I wanted to talk to you about and I am hoping that you will say yes; of course it comes with a bigger cut, if you accept."

Sweet Pea was very confused. What could he be asking? Theft? Drugs? High level chaos? All stuff he had done before under FP but he would be somewhat surprised to do those jobs under Jughead.

"Well, spit it out. What do you want me to do? You know I'll take care of it."

"So what are you planning on doing when we graduate?"

"The same thing I'm doing now. Except no school."

"I was thinking of giving you a bigger role in the Serpents because to be honest, I am swamped here. The deeper I am getting in this the more I realize why my dad sucked as a father. I'm feeling the pressure of the Ghoulies with that douchebag Malachi showing up all over Riverdale and I'm busy dealing with that shit. Then I've got to take care of this place which means bills. Plus I've got the newspaper and school work. Not that I am not up for the challenge of leading the Serpents, because I am, I just think I need some help so I am reinstating the Serpent Council."

"Um, well I am flattered but I'd have to think about it."

"Look Sweet Pea, I am not your favorite person. I know that but when I took over I swore an oath to every person in this club, to do what is best for them, no matter what it takes. I want to be able to fulfill that promise. And I think that making you my right hand is the best choice. Be my guy right under me, next to me, getting shit done. Please. You have a way of rallying the troops that seems to really work, and we need it right now. I need it right now."

"Really?" Sweet Pea asked with his eyebrow raised.

"I'm totally serious. Can we just sort out our differences? For the Serpents? I don't want to destroy what my dad gave me but I don't want to do it like him either. Instead of just drinking away my problems, I want to try and solve them, and that means relying on people who I can trust. I'm smart but I'm not always as tough as I need to be and you don't take any shit from anyone, including me."

Sweet Pea was quiet for a moment, mulling things over. "It sounds like we are in trouble. Worse trouble than you have been telling everyone."

"Yeah. Sweet Pea. It's bad. Three of our guys have been sent to Riverdale General in the last month at the hand of Malachi and his goons. Plus the threat of Veronica's dad starting to buy up the Southside is so suspicious sometimes I wonder if it coincidental. I just can't make the connection between them. But we have to take care of the Ghoulie problem soon. As in now, before guys aren't just coming up injured but coming up dead."

Sweet Pea was up for a challenge, especially if there was a threat to the Serpents. He really didn't have to think about it now but he loved the idea of making Jones sweat, at least a little so he toyed with Jughead by pretending. "Hmm," he grunted as he mimicked mulling it over as he watched Jughead boring a hole into his head with his eyes. "I don't know," he said and he saw Jughead's gaze fall and curled his lip with annoyance and maybe a little anger. "Do you think you can keep up with me?" he asked finally, cracking a smirk.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yeah, I'll do it. Whatever you need, I'll do it. I've never walked away from a fight."

"That's what I'm counting on," he said putting out his hand to shake on it.

Sweet Pea grasped his hand and squeezed it. "Do you want to come out and have a drink with us? I think I owe you a drink for this sign on bonus."

"Um," he said looking at his school books on his desk. "Yeah, for a minute."

The two boys left the office and headed out into the bar. Jughead took a seat next to Fangs and he looked at him as though sitting had made him grow a second head. "What?" he asked.

"Hey," he said taking a sip from his drink, "I'm just surprised you came out to hang with us plebes."

"Don't be so hard on him," Toni said laying a napkin in front of him and Sweet Pea who stood behind Betty. "He's busy. What can I get you?"

"Uh," he said but Sweet Pea answered for him.

"Give him one of my beers from back there and it's on my tab."

Toni gave him an odd look but did what she was told. She grabbed one of the beers that she stocked for her friend and opened it as Sweet Pea reached back and grabbed one of his own and popped it open on the bar top.

"So I have an announcement, kind of."

"Oh yeah, Jones? You getting that boob job finally?" Fangs chided.

"Yeah, I don't need it Fangs. I got all I needed when I hooked up with your mother."

Everyone at the bar who was in earshot laughed as Fangs scowled. He wasn't used to anyone dishing it back to him, especially not Jughead Jones. Jughead clapped him on the back to show he was just kidding around but it didn't seem to make him feel any better.

"It's time we get organized around here because we have real threats to the Serpents."

"Threats?" Toni said leaning up against the counter.

"Yeah. More Ghoulie sightings every day. My dad and I, on the down, low have been cleaning up messes all over the Southside. To protect our club I am reinstating the Serpent Council."

"They haven't had a council in years, though."

"Yeah and look what that did to my dad. And my family."

"What is a Serpent Council?" Betty asked.

"It's a group of leaders that help govern the gang. Instead of just me, by myself, I'd have a council of advisors and some other officers to make decisions to what is right by our people. And my first order of business will be to nominate Sweet Pea to be my VP. If we put it to a vote do I have your support?"

"Dude!" Fangs said giving Sweet Pea a fist bump. "You have my vote."

"Yeah, I vote yes," Toni replied.

Jughead looked to Betty and she shook her head affirmatively.

"OK, good. We will have an official club vote next week but I'm hoping it passes."

"It should. Everyone respects this man," Fangs said, clapping Sweet Pea on the back. Sweet Pea held back a smile.

"I might have a couple of suggestions," Toni said. "For a treasurer. Let's talk later?"

"Yes, for sure. Thanks, Toni."

Betty worried. Of course she would vote for Sweet Pea to get promoted in the Serpents; there was no one better for the job of Vice President than him. Serpent blood ran through his veins and his bite could be lethal. He was the perfect compliment to Jughead. But taking on a bigger role meant that especially now, in war time, that he was now at a bigger risk of something happening to him. This was just the part of being in a gang that she really hadn't been exposed to yet but she was going to have to get used to it. She looked away for a moment and Sweet Pea squeezed her hip with his hand. She met his gaze but knew that if she let him really look in her eyes, he would see she was not comfortable. She grabbed her drink off of the counter so she had something else to focus on for the time being.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I have been re-inspired to keep working on this story! I knew how I wanted it to end but was having a big block on how to get there. I am about 7 chapters in and will start updating on Thursdays each week. Thank you to anyone who continues to read on!

Chapter 3: Jumping the Gun

It was weird, yet surprisingly entertaining to Sweet Pea to be sitting and having a drink with Jughead. Not just drinking but laughing and thoroughly having a fun time; even Betty seemed at ease with him being there and he was glad for a moment. He finished off his second beer and set the bottle down on the bar with a loud 'clink'. He grabbed another from his stash and popped it open. As he took his first sip, the door to the Whyte Wyrm slammed open and an older member, just known by the moniker Fran, stumbled in clutching his side. Jughead jumped to his feet and went to help him inside to sit down. The bar was eerily quiet as everyone watched what was happening in a bit of confusion. A couple of other guys came over to see if they could help in any way.

"Who did this?" Jughead demanded, as he pressed his long sleeve shirt to the man's wound.

"Go. Outside," was all the man could answer without passing out.

Sweet Pea and Fangs looked at each other and got up from their seats. He told Betty, "stay here" as they ran out the door. Just up ahead of them Sweet Pea could make out a couple of figures in the dark and he started sprinting harder. Fangs was the faster of the two of them and caught up to the men who were trying to evade them. He was able to grab one guy's shirt and yank him to the ground before his friend slipped away and pinned him down between his legs.

When Sweet Pea caught up he stood there fingering his switchblade inside his jacket pocket as Fang demanded the man's name. The man wouldn't answer him so Fangs popped him in the mouth with his fist.

"How about now?" he antagonized. "What is your name? Who sent you?"

The guy on the ground still didn't answer. Fangs punched him again and his lip burst open and slight trickle of blood was now apparent on his chin.

"Was it Malachi?" Sweet Pea demanded.

At his boss's name, the man's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth and choked out what must have been a rehearsed line, "I have a message for you. Tell Jones that we will not release the next snake we catch back into the wild so easily. If he knows what is good for him, he will turn himself and the Southside over to us."

With each word Sweet Pea's blood boiled under his skin, so much so that his cheeks turned crimson in anger. He swiftly pulled his knife out of his pocket, opened it and knelt next to the man. He took the tip and played in over the mans neck and said, "a snake does not show his belly in a fight, but strikes," as he plunged his knife deep into the man's shoulder. He pulled it out and repeated his action giving the man two gaping wounds that looked like a snake bite. "You are lucky that is all I am going to do to you; but don't see it as a weakness. You go tell Malachi that he can go back to where he belongs."

"This is our town," Fangs said getting off of the man, "get the hell out."

The man got off the ground and grabbed his shoulder in pain as he ran off into the night. Fangs and Sweet Pea watched him go before acknowledging what had just happened.

"Dude, I thought you were going to kill that guy!" Fangs said as they turned and started walking back to the bar.

"Naw this is better. Now they know we are not running scared. That we wont run from a fight."

"Do you think that this made everything worse than it already was?"

"I think there is bigger shit at play than Malachi. It has me thinking; what do they want with our part of Riverdale? It's worth nothing. There are no big houses no companies worth buying, no maple trees to tap. Why do the Ghoulies want our land anyway?"

"Because they are assholes," Fangs answered as he opened the door to the bar.

Betty breathed a sigh of relief when the boys walked back in. She and Toni had just been watching Fran get patched up and Jughead has told everyone what had been going down. There was some grumbling about the information having been withheld from them, but nothing worth noting. One sentiment was shared amongst everyone though; they were with Jughead if it meant getting rid of the Ghoulies once and for all.

Sweet Pea went over to her and wrapped his arms around her when she noticed his sleeve was covered in blood. He leaned over and asked her if they could go to back to his room. She nodded and held her questions for when they were going to be alone.

She got up off her stool and said,"I think we are going to be heading to the back for a bit, OK guys?"

"Yeah, we will see you later," Sweet Pea said grabbing his beer before following Betty to the back of the bar.

His blood was still pumping furiously and he felt the adrenaline from what had transpired outside as they headed down the hallway. As soon as they stepped foot into his room and closed the door, he pushed Betty up against it and caught her mouth in her surprise. He kissed her harshly and took her bottom lip in between his teeth. Something in him woke up and was trying to claw it's way out.

"Sweet Pea," she mumbled in his mouth as she pressed her hands against his shoulders. "Hang on." He pressed his knee between her legs as he started kissing and sucking on her neck. "Babe," she groaned as she gave in for a moment and ran her fingers through his hair. "You need to take off this bloody shirt."

"Just what I was thinking," he said as he pulled off his jacket and unbuttoned his flannel shirt and throwing it on the floor behind him. He took of his black undershirt in between kissing her and pushed off her jacket. He spun her around and nearly threw her on the bed and came down on top of her. He pushed up her shirt as he kissed her once again.

"Slow down, babe," she said as she had her pants on the floor and was working on his belt.

"Betty, I want you," he said sliding down his jeans and taking her hand on putting it in his boxers so she could feel how hard he was. "I need you."

She was surprised at how stiff he actually felt and the thought of it made her wet. She knew she had questions for him about what had just happened but she was getting swept up in the moment. She took her hand and put it against his cheek and pulled his face close enough that she could look into his eyes and be sure she could read him, "You promise you are OK?"

"Promise," he said and he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

She opened her mouth and his tongue slipped inside, making little licks against hers. He slid her underwear to the slide and pushed his index finger inside of her. How wet she had become made him so hard that it hurt and he knew he would not last long once they got started. He broke their kissing and slid down her underwear in one swift movement. Pulling them off he kiss down her leg until he was kissing between her legs. She gasped as he began fingering her again as well as pleasuring her with his mouth. She squeezed her thighs around his head as she climaxed and he pulled away with her dripping.

He took off his boxers and saddled himself between her legs. "May I, ma'am?" he asked kissing her cleavage and lightly biting her right breast.

"Oh, please do," she said spreading her legs even wider.

He took himself and teased her with the tip for a moment before pushing inside of her. He buried himself until he couldn't go any forward and pulled out to do it again. He picked up her legs so that he could go deeper and moved into her as her walls squeezed tightly around him. His momentum built quickly until he grunted and finished collapsing on top of her.

When the white, hot feeling of his orgasm subsided, he rolled next to her and laid her head on his chest. She could feel his heart still pounding and she traced a heart over and over in the sweat that was pooling in between his pecks.

"That was, uh, intense," she said in the best way she felt like she could.

"Sorry," he confessed. " I was just worked a little worked up."

"Not that I minded but- what happened out there?"

Sweet Pea worried about telling her about what he did. His anger controlled but sometimes violence was necessary to send a message and he wasn't sure she would understand. "I don't know if I can tell you. Can't we just have this moment without me ruining it?"

"You can tell me anything. I'm a big girl."

"Are you sure that it won't upset you? I don't want you to think badly of me."

"Just tell me."

"We caught one of the guys that had gutted Fran; he was a no good Ghoulie and I stabbed the guy. A couple of times."

Betty sat up in the bed and scooted so that she was sitting against the pillow. Not what she expected to hear. "Stabbed," she said in a questioning tone. "Is he alive?"

"Yeah, he's alive," he said almost as a joke. "Do you think I would just kill a guy?"

"I don't know. I can't really imagine you stabbing a guy. A couple of times," she said looking away.

"You're freaking out, aren't you?" he said trying to scoot up next to her. "This is why I didn't want to say anything."

"I'm just," she paused, "processing."

"Processing?"

"It's harder to hear than I thought it would be, I guess."

He opened his arms as he leaned against the headboard. "Come here."

Instead of going to him, she got off the bed and grabbed her bra. "I'm not mad," she said as she continued getting dressed. "I just need to go. My mom is expecting me."

"Betty," he said getting up.

"I'll text you when I get home," she said grabbing her jacket and going out his door. She started going down the hall but instead of going outside she ducked into the bathroom to hide.

Sweet Pea ran out in the hallway after her as fast as he could get dressed. He ran down the hall but when he got to the bar he was that she must have already gone and he went back to his room. When Betty heard his door close for the second time she quickly went to the bathroom and then headed home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Choices

Toni saw Betty bolt out of the bar and decided to chase after her, assuming something was wrong. "Betty, wait," she called from the door.

Betty turned back and saw her but only slowed down instead of stopping.

"Girl, stop!" Toni yelled now running to catch up. She got to her and put her hand on Betty's shoulder. When Betty finally halted and looked at her friend, Toni could see there were tears streaming down her very red face.

"I'm fine," she said through her sobs and turned to go again.

Toni stilled her by grabbing her shoulder again and brought her into a hug. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Betty," she said concerned.

"I don't. Just let me walk home."

"You can not walk home from here alone, especially with that jacket on right now. Didn't you see what happened to Fran?"

"I have to get home."

"Promise you will wait. I will see if I can leave early, OK?"

"OK, fine."

A few minutes later, Toni emerged from the bar with her backpack and bundled up for the cold.

"What's the bag for?" Betty asked as they started walking.

"I figured we could have little impromptu sleepover."

"I swear, I am fine," Betty said looking over at her friend.

"I know; you are fine," she said playfully, " but your house is just a much closer walk to school in the morning."

Betty's face lightened and small smile flashed across her lips. "I guess it's OK then; if that's all it is."

"I mean, if you wanted to talk about something too... I'd listen. I'm a really good listener."

"Thanks. I'll remember that," she said putting her arm around her and giving her a quick squeeze.

They walked for a moment and the only sound you could hear was the slush under their feet. Toni really did want to pry because Betty was worrying her being so secretive about what must have gone between her and Sweet Pea. Did they break up? She was lucky because Betty broke her silence pretty quickly.

"Have you ever had to hurt anybody?" Betty asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, physically."

"I mean, I ripped some girl's hair out at Southside High once. Her friends were trying to gang up on me after gym."

"That's self defense though. Like, have you ever done it, oh, I don't know; maybe it's not different."

"What are you talking about? What happened?"

"Sweet Pea told me that when he and Fangs went after the guy who attacked Fran, he stabbed him. Not just once, but twice. And I don't know how I feel about that."

"Betty, I mean, we are in a gang; sometimes there are things that you have to do. Stuff that is not always 'nice'."

"I guess I am just shocked because I never have really seen that side of him. Did he really have to do that? Couldn't he just threaten him or something?"

"Betty. Don't be ridiculous."

"It sounds so childish, doesn't it?"

"Unfortunately, savagery is a part of being a Serpent. It's how we live on the Southside; by the skin of your teeth and the tip of a knife. I know that's not what you are used to."

"Would you have stabbed him?"

"I guess. Maybe. He hurt one of our brothers. It's an eye for an eye around here."

"I guess I was raised to to 'do onto others' and all of that."

"THAT mentality is dangerous when you are in a fight. It's kill or be killed."

The streetlights were getting brighter and brighter as they neared Betty's house. She could see her mom in the window as they went up the steps and Toni waved. She put the key in the lock and listened for the click before opening the door.

"Hey, Mrs. Cooper," Toni said as Alice greeted them at the door.

"Hi, dear. How was your weekend?"

"Pretty good. I hope it's OK but I brought my stuff so I could sleep over."

"That's fine, honey. You can stay any time you like."

"Thanks."

"Do you want me to make you girls some popcorn or something? I was just doing some reading."

"I think we are good," Betty said. "We are just going to go to my room and get some sleep."

"OK, girls. I will be turning in soon myself."

"Good night, Mom," she said and the two girls bounded up the stairs.

"So to resume our conversation..." Toni said as she sat down on the bed.

"Am I just over reacting?" Betty said while grabbing extra bedding from her closet.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, Betty. But didn't you know that's the kind of stuff that happens?"

"I guess I did in a round about way... but like it wasn't any of the people that I knew."

Toni knew there were things about the Serpents and probably about Sweet Pea that Betty didn't know, or maybe didn't want to acknowledge on some level. Jughead had tried to keep her out for a reason, because he thought it was unnecessary for her to be exposed to a life of violence and crime, but the rest of them had all supported her decision. In hindsight, maybe Jughead had been right all the long. She didn't want Betty to quit but there were some realities that she was going to need to accept; she probably wasn't the right one to tell her but she was going to be the one to do it anyway.

"He's probably done worse, you know."

"What?" Betty said stopping putting a bed together for Toni

"Than just stabbing a guy."

"What are you saying?"

"Probably more than I should be, honestly. Look, I know you love him, but he is capable of doing a lot more scary shit than you think. Maybe we all are."

Betty sat down on the bed next to Toni. She never had truly considered to what extent Sweet Pea had to have carried out Serpent business before. She knew that FP called him a lot because he trusted him, but what kind of jobs was he doing? She was naive to think it was always something legit, knowing FP.

"Are you going to be OK?" Toni asked as her friend sat there quietly.

"I guess," Betty said in a whisper.

"Don't tell anyone that I ever said this, but if you want to quit, you should do it now. Before you are patched and everything."

"I can't quit! What would people think? I talked all of this big talk to get in just to back out now?"

"I'm just saying. If you are uncomfortable, this is the time. Think about it; your boyfriend is about to be second in command. Don't you think you will be expected to fight when it comes down to it? If you can't do it, you could get hurt or worse."

"Killed."

"That's a reality that you need to think about," Toni said getting down on the extra bedding that Betty had put out for her.

Betty got in her bed and got under her covers. She laid there for a moment deciding if she wanted to just try to go to sleep. There was still more she felt like she needed to know. "Would you do it?" she asked.

"Fight? Anything Jughead asks me to do, I will do it. That's part of being in this family. It's all most of us have. But you... you still have your mom and college... you don't need the Serpents the way the rest of us do."

"But I chose to join, either way."

"You did. But it's something to think about."

"I guess you are right, honestly. Maybe I just never wanted to put things together. Romanticized it in a way."

"Being in a gang is not normally something that people romanticize," Toni replied.

"Maybe I'm just a little crazy."

"Then you DO belong with us," she said and both girls laughed. "Are you and Sweet Pea going to be OK?"

"I hope so. How he was when he came back in kind of freaked me out. He was so intense. I didn't even know him."

"Now you know who is is with the rest of us."

"That's not how it was. He was surly when we first started hanging out. He was rude and vulgar and seemed like he didn't care about anyone but himself. This was even more than that. Like he was just, primal."

"Gross," Toni said getting under the covers. "I don't need to know about all of that."

"Sorry. Are you tired?"

"Yeah, I'm going to pass out."

The girls laid back onto their beds and Betty turned off her lamp. Not much time passed before she could hear her friend breathing deeply in her sleep and she rolled away but could not fall asleep. So much was running through her head. Toni was right about so much, she had just been in the love bubble these past few months and was not really thinking straight. Jughead had tried to warn her that night that she did the Serpents dance; if she knew what was good for her, she would have stayed away from him and the Serpents. She was stubborn and did it her own way instead. But now she was asking herself, did she have what it took to really be a Serpent? She said she would die for them, but that was easy when that wasn't a real threat. Would she be able to turn a blind eye to things she wasn't comfortable with but were necessary, she wondered. If she wanted to stay in; she was going to have to be.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: St Valentine's Day Massacre?

This past month had gone by in a blur for Sweet Pea. He had secured his spot on the newly voted in Serpent Council and the Vice President appointment from Jughead had been overwhelmingly approved. This meant council meetings, trying to fulfill the club's need for work, and being on call for Jughead's incessant phone calls at all hours of the day. By the skin of his teeth, he was able secure a contract to work for the company that was clearing around South Side High and that would do at least for a few weeks on the job front but his responsibilities were far from over.

Unfortunately, Malachi had not taken Sweet Pea's message lightly and was not letting up on the Southside. There were daily Ghoulie sightings that ended in muggings, injuries, and arson; if things continued this way, he and Jughead knew there would be no Southside or no Serpents left by the end of the year. Jughead had tried to set up a sit down with Malachi and he surprisingly accepted for this upcoming Saturday. Of course Sweet Pea and some other members would be on stand by as well, just in case. At least a morning meeting meant he still had the evening to do something with his time not related to Serpent business, namely take out his girlfriend.

It was Thursday and Sweet Pea was waiting outside the Blue and Gold for Betty to come out after putting the paper to print as had become their habit. Things had been weird between him and Betty since that night, the day after the formal. When he tried apologize for being so forward and everything, she almost blew it off saying there was nothing to say sorry for. But the way she was acting towards him was not her normal sunny self. She still kissed his cheek every night to say good bye and still held his hand in the hallway but the kisses were not quite as long and her hand did not grasp as hard as before. When asked if everything was OK, she always replied that she was fine, but he felt like she was hiding something. He'd hoped she would have still been gushing over being pinned, but the excitement had worn off almost as quickly as it had came. He thought he could make it up to her by planning something very romantic, which of course was not his strong suit, but he would try.

"Hey, you," Betty said as she came out of the newspaper office.

"Hey," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. He took her book bag and put it over his own shoulder as they walked down the hall.

"So, do you have to work this weekend?"

"I have a thing with Jughead on Saturday afternoon but then I thought maybe after I could take you out?"

"Oh, any special occasion?"

"I heard it's like, a holiday or something."

"Are you asking me out for Valentine's Day?"

"What if I am? I can't ask out my very pretty girlfriend out for Valentine's Day without getting a hard time?"

"I guess," she said playfully.

"Oh, good."

"What do you have to do with Jughead, by the way?"

Sweet Pea swallowed hard and it got stuck in his suddenly dry throat. It wasn't exactly lying to her but he had purposefully been omitting having to meet up with their rivals for fear she would get freaked out. He was starting realize just how much he had been walking on egg shells around her lately and he knew it was the right thing to do to come clean.

When Betty heard him tell her about their plans, she pursed her lips and shook her head. On one hand, it would be great if they could talk things out and end this war with Ghoulies without more violence. But on the other hand? She did not trust them; at all. Sweet Pea had pissed them off and that made him a potential target for their anger and that was frightening. S

"I don't know if I am such a fan of that."

"You don't think it is a good idea? To try to stop all of this bullshit with the Ghoulies?"

"I just don't trust them."

"Jughead doesn't either. That's why he is taking me."

Betty got to Sweet Pea's bike first but did not put on her helmet. She cradled it in her hands as she imagined all of the things that could happen to her boyfriend. She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head; she was still struggling with the reality of gang life and had not decided where she stood on the whole issue. She wanted to support her boyfriend and her club but something was keeping her from doing so; something she couldn't name but something that was a feeling in her chest whenever she thought about it.

"Are you OK?" he asked coming up from behind her.

"I'm fine."

But Betty was not fine. The one person she wanted to confide in was the person the had fears about. She was nervous to even bring up what was bothering her; it just felt like she was serving this judgment on him and it wasn't fair. The whole situation just stunk and she knew it.

"Babe, I love you, but I don't believe you. Something is up with you and maybe has been for a while," he said reaching his long arms around her to take the helmet out of her hands and then set it back on his bike.

Betty turned around to face him and fell into his chest. Sweet Pea buckled only slightly under her weight and put his arms around her and put his head into her hair.

"You are going to think I am being stupid."

"I won't. Tell me," Sweet Pea said. "What's wrong? I feel like things have been weird since the formal."

"I haven't been trying to make anything weird. I'm still just-"

"Processing?"

"Yeah."

"Was it what happened about Fran? You were upset that night but then you acted like nothing ever happened."

"It is but it's so much bigger than that. I feel silly because I hadn't really considered what it is like to be a Southsider; your past, how you had to grow up? The stuff you've had to do... I hadn't really let it sink in what gang life was really about. I know it's a family and you take care of each other... and in theory I knew that not everything was on the up and up, but hearing that you stabbed a guy? I just couldn't handle it. I had to kind of work through how I felt about it. If it was someone else maybe it would different, but you? My boyfriend?"

"So you are scared of me," he said stepping back from her. He had had reservations about telling her about what went down between him, Fangs, and the Ghoulie but he had to be honest. Betty didn't grow up the way he did. Both of his parents were Serpents and he lost them to violence. He learned to toughen up and be good with a knife at a young age.

"Please, don't say it like that," she said as she put her head in her hands. "You were not yourself when you took me back to your bedroom. As it was happening, I mean, don't get me wrong, I was into it, but that was not who you are. At least not who you are when you are with me. I never thought about you really being capable of hurting someone. Not like you did."

"That's one of the things I love about you! You see the best side of me."

"Seeing this part of you frightened me. Not just that you did it but it made me realize something that I had been ignoring. The Serpents aren't some after school club and it's life or death for us right now. I've been trying to decide if I can stand by and watch what you will have to do."

"And have you decided?" he asked, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer. Could this be the end of them right now? He tentatively held his breath as he waited for her to say.

"I want to be OK with it because I know who you really are. You are loyal, caring, strong; all of the things you need to be. But I have to be honest, I'm not super comfortable with these, um, new responsibilities. Not yet."

Sweet Pea let out his breath loudly. "Yet?" he questioned.

"I'm not running for the hills but I just need some more time."

"I'm good with that. Is that why you have been treating me differently?"

"Yes. And no. Because as I am thinking, that brings up another things that I am unsure about. When things come push to shove, do I have it in myself to do what it takes? Could I...?"

"Betty, you do not have to do anything like that. Ever."

"Sweet Pea, I will. If it's not now, it is going to be later. This jacket is for life, it's not some phase that I am going through right now."

"Jughead would not ask you to do something that you aren't comfortable with. I wouldn't allow it."

"I don't want to be a coward."

"It's not about being a coward. It's about being smart. And to be honest, I would want you as far away from a fight as possible because I can not be worried about what is happening to you in a fight."

"But-"

"No buts. Please just let me take care of you. Promise me that you will try to stay out if you see trouble."

"But Toni said-"

"What did Toni say?"

"She said that people would expect me to fight, because of your new role. And I think she's right. What if I don't really have what it takes to be a Serpent?"

"You do. And you don't even have to worry about this because you are going to stay away. Please. I can't watch both of our asses."

Betty knew she had to accept it. If she really wanted to be a Serpent and Sweet Pea's girlfriend, this was the reality. That was apparent even from the conversation she had with Toni. She just wished that she could just get over that nagging feeling that she had been left with.

"Yeah. Sure," she said, even though she wasn't entirely.

"Do you feel better now? At all?" he asked.

"I guess."

"Good," he said putting on his own helmet and handing her hers.

As they rode, he could hear a loud engine come from behind them and then 2 thuds as a car hit the train tracks hard barreling over them into the Southside. It surprised him to see it was a black town car with dark tinted windows. Sweet Pea questioned to himself why a car like that would be going into that part of town and where could they be from; he could count on his hand how many people in Riverdale that would ever have car service. He hoped it wasn't the mayor, that was always bad news when she showed up on the Southside.

He felt Betty's arms tighten around him as they also crossed the physical barrier that divided the town and he switched his thoughts to her. He hated that things were not easy between them right now. He would do anything to keep her in the Serpents and in turn, keep her by his side. They just had to get to the weekend and he would do his best to prove to her that this life she was choosing was the right one for her.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Bonus chapter on a Monday! I have been writing like crazy and am all the way to Chapter 12 so I feel ok putting out this kind of a bridge chapter a little ahead of schedule. I will still post again on Thursday!

Chapter 6: Bravery

Jughead was nervous. This meeting with Malachi was the single most important thing he was going to do in this war with the Ghoulies and he could not fuck it up. The council had met the night previous and they talked over what they would be willing to give them as terms for peace. They knew it would probably have to be a lot of land or money because they were all about power, but there was not a lot of money to give. There was a sort of no man's land that was west of the city streets that stretched into Eversgreen Forest that they often used to access Sweetwater River. This had been advantageous in the past but they were no longer smuggling drugs or prohibition booze so it wasn't used by them anymore but it could maybe be enticing to the Ghoulies as it was across the river from Greendale. Jughead hoped that it wasn't stupid to give them anything on their side of the river; it almost seemed dangerous to let them set up camp less than a mile from his trailer. His suggestion had been to offer amnesty to Malachi and ask them to join the Serpents instead- he had been called naive. He just wanted the violence to end. Integrating them into the same club would at least do that. He would have to deal with the power struggle but he was prepared to do what was necessary to keep the Serpents intact. On top of this situation, he had gotten some intelligence that an anonymous buyer had made a bid for Southside High, just as they had done for the old drive-in. Was it someone related to the Ghoulies?

He had been pacing his office waiting for Sweet Pea to get there so they could head out but it was taking what seemed like forever. There was a knock on his door and he yelled that it was open. To his surprise, Betty stuck her head in his door. He motioned for her to come inside and she did, closing the door behind her.

"Hey, Jug," she said as she came over to him.

"Hey," he replied. After all this time he still didn't know what to say to her when they were alone.

"I just wanted to say about today... you are crazy for doing this. But brave."

"Thanks, I guess?" he said nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Do you know what you are going to say?"

"To be honest, not really. The council came up with a plan but..."

"But what?"

"I just don't know if it really solves our problem in the long run. The more I have been thinking about it, the more idiotic it sounds. Their plan, my plan; they both suck. And there isn't enough time to call the council back together to get something else approved. "

"Jughead, you are a smart guy. Maybe you just have to go with your instincts?"

"Yeah, maybe."

Jughead sat down on the edge of his desk and sat slumping forward with his hands folded between his thighs. He missed her. Her optimism was always so contagious and could cut through his cynicism in times like this where his brain was going the wrong way on a one way street. But she had moved on and he was still stuck in this place where he still loved her but knew that they shouldn't be together. He wished there was a way that he could be around her more, but focused on something to keep the awkwardness away so maybe they could move into something resembling a friendship instead of what things were like now. Everything was so much better when they were solving a mystery. 'A mystery!' he thought. Maybe should could help him figure out who this anonymous buyer was with interests in the Southside.

"Can you consider something for me?" he asking leaning back on his hands against the desk.

Betty cocked her head to the side but answered, "sure."

There was a knock at the door and Sweet Pea let himself in. "You ready?" he asked.

"One sec. So, I have had reports that there is someone interested in buying our old school. I just can't help but think that it has to be related to the drive-in getting purchased also by 'an anonymous buyer'."

"That would make sense. How many people are interested in property around here?" Betty said.

"Do you know what?" Sweet Pea said coming farther into the room. "The other day, there was like a fancy car speeding past us over the tracks by Pop's. I wonder if that's the buyer."

"Hmm. If it is, that rules out me thinking it could be someone related to the Ghoulies. I theorized it had been them trying to maybe buy their way into Riverdale."

"Then who could it be?" Betty questioned.

"I don't know. But I thought you could try to find out. We have to go but maybe you could ask around? Maybe someone else saw this car?"

"Yeah, I can do that. You know I love a good mystery."

"I'm aware. But take Toni; safety in numbers right now, OK?"

"Yes. Good luck you guys," she said giving Jughead a one armed side hug.

She moved in front of her boyfriend and embraced him. "You be careful too, OK?"

"I'll be fine. It's them who need to be careful around me."

Betty cringed but tried not to let it show. It still was bothering her thinking about him resorting to violence but after their last conversation about it, she knew that she should just keep it to herself. She forced a little smile and kissed him on the cheek as Jughead pulled on his jacket.

"OK... well bye. I will let you know what I find out," she said excusing herself.

"Do you think she's OK?" Sweet Pea asked Jughead as he went over to the wall cabinet and started opening the safe inside.

"Yeah, why?"

"Things have just been a little off lately."

"You guys are fighting?"

"Not really fighting. I don't know, maybe it's just in my head."

"Well focus. We have to be a hundred percent ready for anything to go down."

"I know," Sweet Pea said grabbing a pair of brass knuckles out of the safe and putting them in his jacket.

Jughead reached around him and grabbed a switchblade and put it in his pocket. Sweet Pea raised his eyebrow, surprised that Jughead would try to take a weapon, but said nothing. Sweet Pea then secured the safe and re-locked the cabinet.

Meanwhile, Betty headed out of Jughead's office and into the bar. She looked around to see if there was anyone she knew that maybe she could ask about the car that Sweet Pea had seen. She saw a couple of college age Serpents playing pool and she went and talked to them for a few minutes but they hadn't seen or heard anything. There were a couple of older guys too that had been sitting at the bar since it opened for breakfast so she figured they wouldn't be sober enough to remember if they had seen anything either. She texted Toni to see if she was around and she went back to Sweet Pea's room to do some homework until she heard back from her.

She crawled into the bed and pulled the cover up over her lap and pulled the pillows to help her sit up against the wall before grabbing her history textbook. She started to read but it was hard for her mind not to wander to what could be happening right now at Ghoulie headquarters. She was not a religious girl but she thought to herself that if there was a God, that she hoped that he would hear her prayer for everyone to come back fine and the issues to be easily resolved. She laid the book down against herself and held it in her arms. She was truly terrified that something would happen to Sweet Pea. What if he got cocky and tried to go after someone and he got stabbed or shot? Why does this have to be their life?

But she knew the answer to that, didn't she? She chose this life, he was born into it; if it wasn't something with the Ghoulies it would be something else in Riverdale. Ever since Cheryl's brother's murder there had been a dark cloud hanging over the town causing the darkness to spread to everyone it touched in a stroke of bad luck or worse. She had to accept that this was how it is now. She loved Sweet Pea and she did love being a Serpent, she was going have to just grow some balls and get over the violence thing. Would she rather her boyfriend go into trouble unprotected? Honestly, no.

She sighed and closed her book as she felt her phone vibrate. Toni had responded to her message saying she was at home but she would be up for hanging out. Betty said she would walk over to pick her up in a few minutes after she got presentable.

Betty had been lounging about all day since she woke up at Sweet Pea's that morning. It was Valentine's Day so she tried to keep up her spirits as they cuddled in bed before he had to shower and get ready, but she had stayed in her PJs, which was a sweatshirt and her cheer shorts.

Washing in the communal shower was not her favorite thing to do alone but she knew it needed to be done. At least not many girls lived in the boarding house so most of the time it was empty... it was just old and dirty because it never really got cleaned well. She grabbed her overnight bag and headed in and washed quickly. She had left her hair up in a bun and after she got dressed she washed her hair in the sink. It was freezing outside and she wished that she had a blow dryer but she put her hair back up to get to Toni's.

When she got to her friend's, her wet hair was crunchy with frost. She stood on the porch to her trailer and knocked on the door. Her grandfather answered and let her in. He didn't say much as she sat down on the couch to wait for Toni. She came out momentarily, grabbed her purse off the counter, said good bye to her grandpa, and then the girls left.

"Not that I'm complaining," Toni said as they walked, "but I was surprised to hear from you."

"Why?"

"I figured you would be hanging out with Sweet Pea. You know, Valentine's Day?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"No, what?"

"He and Jughead went to meet with Malachi."

"Are you kidding? That's like fucking suicide!"

"Way to make me feel better about it."

"Sorry, girl. I wasn't thinking. Were you looking for a distraction? We could go to the mall? Or to the movies?"

"Actually, Jughead gave us an assignment."

"Oh?" she asked as they turned off her street and onto the main road that headed into town.

"He wants us to try and find out the person who is trying to buy South Side High. He thinks its the same person who bought the drive-in. Anyone that interested in that much Southside real estate might be a threat."

"Any leads?"

"Just a mysterious black town car that Sweet Pea saw driving fast into this part of town earlier this week."

"Maybe we should go to the drive-in or the school to look for clues. Anyone who wants to buy a property will go there to check it out right? Maybe they left behind something."

"Good idea! We are closer to the school so let's head there first."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Conundrum

For the better part of an hour, Toni and Betty had been walking around the property of South Side High. The building was caution taped off but they were about ready to break inside as they had pretty much exhausted everything outside. Most of the grounds were either covered in snow or had been worked over by the Serpent's as part of their last job. For the fifth time since they had been there, Toni stopped and pulled her phone out of her pocket and started smiling.

"Who's that?" Betty asked her.

"Um," Toni started to answer with a blush on her cheeks, "Cheryl."

"It's so crazy how different she is; she must really like you."

"Yeah, maybe. She wants me to come over."

Betty had an idea. "Maybe we should go."

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes. Think about! Who in this town might have a fancy black town car?"

"Cheryl's mom! She does call car service from time to time."

"Hey look!" Betty said pointing. "Tire tracks!"

And she was right. There was a fresh pair of tire tracks pulling in from behind the school, a 'doughnut' mark and then tracks from a car pulling back out.

"This definitely ties the car to the anonymous buyer!"

"Maybe not definitely but it ups the probability. Let's head to Cheryl's?"

"OK, let's go. How can I keep you from love on Valentine's?"

"Ha. Ha," she sad sarcastically as she texted Cheryl that she was coming over but also that she was bringing Betty.

When the two got to Cheryl's, they were let in to the house by the maid who let them know that Cheryl was in the study. They went down the hall and Betty felt how cold the house was. It was like they hadn't turned the heat on since the formal and her nose was chilled before they got to the study. When Toni pushed open the door she was delighted to see a roaring fire in the hearth.

"Ma Cherie!" Cheryl exclaimed as she put down the book she was reading and got out of a big arm chair. Betty looked at the chaise on the other side of the room and she had a flash of memories from only a month ago when Sweet Pea and her had messed around in this room and he gave her his pin. Her hand went right to it as she thought about him and really hoped he was safe. "And dark Betty. If I haven't told you before, I have to say I am loving you in this biker aesthetic."

"Thanks?" Betty said.

"No problem. Now, a thank you for escorting my T.T. here, but you may go now," she said putting her arm around Toni who blushed again.

"Actually, Cheryl, I came for another reason."

"Oh? Pray tell?"

"Is your mom home? I wanted to talk to her about something."

"I'm afraid mommy dearest has been out of the country for the last two weeks."

"Oh," Betty said. "Then never mind."

"Can you excuse us for a second? I have a little gift I'd like to present but I'd like some privacy."

"Oh, sure. Do you want me to leave or?"

"I'll just take Toni to my room for a minute. Don't pocket anything while I am gone."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't," Betty said slightly insulted.

"OK, come with me," Cheryl sad leading Toni out of the room by the hand.

Betty let out a small laugh as she watched her friend get all but dragged out of the room. She decided to kill some time by looking through the vast amount of books on the book cases in the study. After a few minutes of running her hand over the leather bindings, she landed on a book that she had read ten times but she still decided to pull it off the shelf. She spent a few minutes reading but it wasn't long before Toni emerged from the hallway and waved for her to go. She put the book back on the shelf and followed her friend out of the house.

"So dead end, huh?" Toni said as they walked down the long driveway, pocketing a small envelope that Betty assumed was her gift from Cheryl.

"Yeah, no way that was her mom if she's been out of town. Want to go over to the drive-in and look around?"

"Honestly it's so cold. I don't think we will find anything else in the snow anyway."

"Maybe you are right. Damn. What else can we do?"

"Make hot chocolate at your house?"

Betty giggled and said, "yes," while linking arms with her friend. They walked the short way to Betty's house and when it was in sight, the could see there was a motorcycle in the drive way. Betty didn't think twice about FP being there again, he was a permanent fixture in their lives; even more so since her mom had filed divorce papers.

The girls went into the house and headed straight to the kitchen. Alice was sitting at the dining room table holding what looked like a letter in her hand and FP was standing behind her reading over her shoulder.

"What's that, Mom?" Betty asked putting water into the tea kettle to boil for their drinks.

"Take a look for yourself," she said as she lightly tossed the paper onto the table and pushed her reading glasses on top of her head.

Betty picked it up and started to read but it was some sort of legal document which made it hard for her to understand. There were some words she recognized however, including the name of her mother's newspaper. What was this about? she wondered.

"I don't get it," she said handing it back.

"Your father sold the paper."

"To who?" Betty asked, caught somewhat off guard.

"I don't know. It doesn't say. I'll know when I get my pittance check, I guess."

"Another anonymous buyer," Toni whispered and Betty nodded.

"He would screw me out of a job in the middle of our divorce. I could kill him."

FP sat down next to her at the table looking flustered. Every spare moment he had recently was spent in their house, replacing light bulbs or shoveling snow; anything he could do to help Alice feel less stress. He thought it had been helping, as she had been opening up to him in ways that no one had in a long time. But this? This was a situation he felt like he couldn't fix. He was just an ex con gang member who worked a dead end minimum wage job to balance his life of crime. He put his hand on her shoulder to try and reassure her but she gave him a death stare and he quickly pulled it away.

"Two can play this game," she said sitting back in her chair. "I'm selling the house to the first buyer even if they offer me $5. He wants to see a life's work go down the drain then I will give it to him."

"Can you do that without him?" Betty asked.

"Sure. Funny story; His name isn't even on this house. I was progressive back in those days."

"Then why not sell the house for more money?"

"When he can try to split the difference in court? I think not."

"Where will we live?"

"No idea. I have time to figure that out."

"Mom that is crazy!"

"What do you expect me to do?" Alice spat back. "I will not roll over and die." She looked at her daughter and could see she was scared and that wasn't what she had wanted to do. "I will figure something out," she said now in a softer tone. "I promise, OK?"

"OK."

The sound of the kettle startled the room and Toni turned off the burner. Betty grabbed out mugs and started to make hot chocolate. She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket but ignored it so she could poor hot water into cups. Another phone started to ring and FP pulled his out of his pocket and answered it. After a quick exchange he hung up.

"Alice, I need to borrow your car," he said getting up out of his chair like a fire was lit under him.

"What? Why? I can drive. This isn't 1920."

"OK, you drive, sweetheart; but we gotta go. Girls, you are coming too."

Betty grabbed her shoes and shoved them on. She looked at the coat rack and she went for her leather jacket, she changed her mind and she grabbed her pink fleece and zipped herself in. She hadn't worn it in a while and she didn't realize that she must have lost some weight as it was almost baggy on her.

Betty's phone buzzed again and FP said as he slid on his sunglasses, "You should read that. It's important."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Lost

Sitting in the back seat of her mom's station wagon on the way to Riverdale General was the most agonizing experience of Betty's life. Jughead's message had been insistent and cryptic and she worried about him. Even though they were ancient history by now, it still was hard for her to think of him injured. She had tried to ask for more information but his last message had been almost ten minutes ago. All she knew was that something had gone awry at the meeting and she needed to get there and then radio silence. She tried to get FP to say what Jughead had told him on the phone but he just kept saying 'they would see when they get there'. Alice kept looking back at her in the rear-view mirror with a concerned look on her face but kept quiet. Betty kept trying to get a hold of Sweet Pea but he wasn't answering his phone either. She figured he was dealing with who ever got hurt but wished he would at least just text her back to say he was fine.

When they got there, Alice said she would park the car and the other three went inside. Betty was relieved to see that Jughead was sitting in the waiting room with Fang's mom. At the sight of her, he jumped out of the chair and ran over to Betty, hugging her the closest that he had ever held her.

"Thank God you're OK! What happened?" she asked.

Jughead stepped back and looked at her and said, "I am so, so sorry."

"For what? What happened?"

"I'm an idiot. Malachi did not want to talk peace. He wanted to get me with my guard down and they got the jump on us and..." he trailed off.

Betty had her own nagging feeling that Malachi wanting to work things out wasn't true but Sweet Pea had convinced her not to worry. Speaking of Sweet Pea, she thought to herself as she looked around and wondered why Sweet Pea wasn't there with them.

"Is Sweet Pea in the bathroom or something? I've been texting him this whole time and he hasn't answered." She asked and Fangs's mom gave her a sympathetic look.

"No he's, um, in room 211."

"Wait, Mrs. Fogherty, is it Fangs who is hurt?" Is that why you are here?"

"No, honey," the woman answered.

"So who are they visiting?"

"Betty-" Jughead started but couldn't finish.

Betty squinted with a questioning face when it hit her. Her face went pale when she put everything together and she opened her mouth to talk but the words weren't coming out in anything but a painful squeak. Sweet Pea was the patient in room 211, not a visitor.

"You should go," Toni said reassuring her and Betty headed down the hall in a panic.

Toni turned to Jughead and said, "talk to me, Jones. And don't leave anything out."

"Well as soon as we sat down, we were ambushed by a bunch of them and in walks my best gal pal."

"Who?"

"Penny fucking Peabody."

"So because we kicked her out she's working with the Ghoulies?"

"Apparently."

"What was that?" FP butted in. "Kicked her out? Do not tell me you messed with Penny; after I told you to leave it alone."

Jughead looked a bit embarrassed as he confirmed that he had disobeyed his dad.

"I told you to leave the Snake Charmer be. She hates me, ergo, she hates you; and she is dangerous. It's bad enough that we had a war with the Ghoulies, now you are telling me we still have a Penny problem?

"The good news is it is now all one problem?"

"Great. No one is dead, right?" he said raising his voice.

"No but-"

"Great," he said throwing his hands in the air and walking away to sit in a chair by himself.

"Don't mind him. So is Sweet Pea OK?" Toni said sitting him down next to Fang's mom.

"I hope so. He has pretty extensive injuries," he said sitting down. "What a leader I am. I can't do this."

"Jughead," Toni said, also sitting down and tucking one leg under herself. "You can. I know you can."

Meanwhile, Betty was standing outside of room 211 having a staring contest with the door and because her eyes would start to well up with tears if they stayed open too long, she was doing very poorly. She hadn't even stayed long enough to ask Jughead what to expect when she opened the door and now she cursed herself for it. Was he going to be in coma? Bloody? Two broken legs? She put her hand on the knob and waited for the courage to turn it. Luckily for her, she didn't have to as it opened from the inside and she was face to face with Fangs.

"Hey, Betty," he said, not moving.

"Is he... awake?" she all but croaked.

"He just closed his eyes. I was just going to see if there was a soda machine around here."

"Um, should I go in there?"

"I think he'd want you to be in there. Just, if he wakes up, don't tell him how bad he looks. It will be bad for his ego. Scratch that... take him down a peg," he said sliding around Betty and going down the hall.

She went into the dimly lit room and walked past the first empty bed to the second bed where the curtains were closed. She took a deep breath before moving it to the side. Her breath hitched as she looked at his face and saw how purple his cheek was and that there was a nasty cut above his eyebrow. The worst of it looked like it was his shoulder as it was covered in a large patch of gauze held on with medical tape. She picked up his chart that was hanging on the edge of his bed and flipped through it.

"Excuse me," a voice behind her said.

Betty turned to see a nurse coming into the curtain and putting out her hand for the chart.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she handed it to her. "How is he?"

"Doing well, passed out from the morphine, I suppose."

"Morphine?"

"Yes. Who are you?" she asked, checking the IV and busying herself with checking his vitals.

"I'm his girlfriend."

"Really?"

"Yes?"

"Don't take this the wrong way but you don't look like the kind of girl who goes out with a guy like this," the older woman said pointing at his neck tattoo.

"Well. I do," she said being defensive. She looked down at her baby pink coat and thought it really wasn't normal Serpent attire. But who was this lady to make that judgement? And why did she feel like she was getting looked down on more?

"Sorry. That was unprofessional," she said as she tugged up the blanket around him. "Is his family here? We have some paperwork to fill out since he is a minor."

"Well, he doesn't really have any family but he has foster parents. I could try to call them?"

"Yes, his guardian will do. Tell them to come to the desk when they arrive," she said leaving the room. Fangs passed her in the hall and she rolled her eyes at his jacket.

He came in and handed Betty a can of soda. "Has he woken up at all?"

"Nope, he's passed out. The nurse said it was probably from the morphine."

"I believe it. He got fucked up by that bat."

"A bat?"

"Yeah, like the home made kind with the nails coming out of it ala Malachi. He got knocked out by one guy and then Malachi went right for him. I figure they were pissed about him stabbing their guy."

"That's terrible." Betty felt horrified. While she was at Cheryl's house her boyfriend was getting the shit beat out of him.

"Yeah. They were just waiting for us when we got there. He took the brunt of it, really. The rest of us just got some bruises and stuff... Your man is a real hero."

"Who is?" Sweet Pea said waking up.

"You're awake! How do you feel?" she said sitting next to him on the bed.

"Like I got ran over by a semi. But I'm alive," he said putting his hand on her closest arm and thumbing her skin.

"Thank god for that," she said gently putting her hand to his un-scarred cheek.

"Yeah, that's my cue to leave you two alone," Fangs said sipping his soda and heading to leave.

"Oh, hey! Can you try to get a hold of George? The nurse said they needed his guardian to sign some papers."

"Yeah, my mom and I can stop by there on our way back home."

"Thanks."

When they were finally alone Betty tried to crawl into the bed with him but he sharply winced when she tried to lay her head on his chest. He brought down the blanket so she could see he was bleeding through a bandage on his abdomen. It was hard for her to see him like this. It made her so nauseated to think about what had happened. This was why she couldn't understand how he was so cavalier about violence; it hurt when it happened to someone she loved.

"Sweet Pea, what happened?"

"A broken rib and puncture wounds. No big deal."

"No big deal?" she asked incredulously.

"That's what the pain meds are for. I'll probably be here a couple of days."

"I feel awful."

"How do you think I feel?" he said in a light but sarcastic tone.

"Sorry. I'm glad you are going to be OK. I was so worried."

"I know. I was thinking about you the whole time. If it makes you feel better, I took some of them down with me."

"It sorta does. Are you still tired?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"I should let you rest. I can come back and visit you tomorrow?"

"This totally ruined my Valentine's plans."

"You can make it up to me another time. You just get better," she said kissing him lightly.

He nodded and she got up out of the bed and left the room. She went back out into the lobby and saw that Fangs and his mom had already gone and must have taken Toni because she was no where to be seen. Her mom was now inside sitting playing on her phone while Jughead and FP were now sitting and talking together in hushed tones. Her mom looked up and saw Betty coming so she put her phone away and patted the chair next to her. Betty shook her head and said they could go. They offered Jughead a ride since hehad come back in Fang's truck and he accepted.

When they got into the car, Betty and Jughead did not talk even though she had a million questions. Finally she picked up her phone and texted him. He pulled out his phone and saw her message that said, "Hi."

"Hi, yourself," he typed back. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I guess so. It was crazy seeing him like that."

"Betty, he saved my life today. Malachi had thought that he was knocked out so when he went after me, Sweet Pea stabbed him so I could get away. I could have been in the bed next to him; or worse."

"He didn't tell me that."

"He wouldn't."

They both sat and stared at their screens, thinking separate but pretty parallel thoughts. Betty looked out the window and she saw that they were almost to the Jones's trailer. She typed in another message.

"Can I stay with you for a little bit? I want to talk about what Toni and I found out today."

"Sure."

When her Mom's car stopped both her and Jughead opened their doors. "You're not coming home?" Alice asked her and she shook her head 'no'.

"I've got a couple of things to go over with Jughead... for the paper," she said.

"Maybe you can have her back before dinner? And you can stay too, if you want, Jughead."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper. I might take you up on that," he said as he headed up the stairs to unlock his door.

"Bye, Mom," Betty said shutting the door. Her mom gave a small wave before she drove off.

Betty followed Jughead into his trailer as he was already inside kicking off his boots. She shut the door and took of her loafers and placed them neatly on the mat. She took off her jacket and came into the living room. It was a mess inside, with beer bottles all over the coffee table and strewn pillows and a wadded up blanket on the sofa. Jughead was trying to pick up dirty clothing from around the room when she sat down on the coach and pulled up the blanket around herself. She could tell that Jughead had slept here pretty recently as the blanket smelled of him. She tried to not let the scent bring up any old memories but it wasn't easy.

When he finished trying to quickly tidy up, Jughead leaned against the counter and said, "So."

"So," she answered back. "It's weird being here again."

"I know, I feel it too." Jughead came and sat down next to her on the couch. "But if you are going to stay in my gang, we should probably get through it, huh?"

"Yeah."

"So," he started again, changing the subject. "What did you guys find out? Anything?"

"Well when we went to South Side High we definitely found some tire tracks that could have come from that car the Sweet Pea saw. We tried to think of anyone who might have hired a car like that too and we at least crossed Cheryl's mom off the list. She was out of town."

"Kind of a dead end then?"

"Yes but, new information. Did you know my parents were getting divorced?"

"Uh, yeah, my dad mentioned it."

"Right."

"Probably because of them splitting up, but my dad sold The Register. To guess who?"

"Let me guess; an anonymous buyer?" Jughead said in a deadpan tone.

"Exactly! Do you think it could be related?"

"I think it is too much of a coincidence. But how do we find out who it is?"

"My mom said it would probably be on her check?"

"To be honest, I don't want to wait that long. If it is someone related to the Ghoulies, I want to end this shit now, before someone else ends up in the hospital."

"You're right, but what can we do?"

"Maybe we can get your dad to spill?"

"I don't want to talk to my dad right now."

Jughead thought for a moment before saying, "maybe we can go snoop around the office? There has to be some sort of paperwork laying around, right?"

"Maybe. We can try to get my mom's key when we go for dinner and then we can sneak in tonight!" Betty said excitedly.

He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she was inspired by a mystery; it was one of the things that originally drew him in. He knew that if he was going to do this with her, he was going to have to try to not to look at them. He was going to have to be very focused on trying to make a friendship work all while trying to find the clues they needed to solve this. And he knew this was not going to be easy.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Return of Nancy Drew

Getting her mom's key to The Register was actually way easier than she had thought. She was able to get them out of her purse virtually unnoticed as her mom was occupied talking with FP after dinner. The way her mom was so engrossed in this exchange raised some suspicions about growing rumors that they had been hooking up, but this was so not the time for THAT conversation. She pulled her hand out of her pocket and jumped as her mom threw back her head and laughed at something FP said.

She dismissed herself by saying she needed to go work on some homework and headed upstairs as Jughead said he needed to do the same and excused himself. Once he was outside and had walked around behind her house, he texted her to come out. A moment later she jumped down from the tree outside of her window and they headed into town.

This felt like deja vu to Betty; the two of them investigating strange goings on in Riverdale but it was also different somehow, probably because they were no longer making out at every turn. She was glad in a way that she was able to focus less on Jughead and more on the task at hand, she just needed to cut through the awkwardness between them.

"So," Betty said trying to start a conversation.

"So?" he replied, pulling his beanie down farther over his ears.

"What is up with our parents? Do you know anything?"

"I'm really not sure. I tried to ask my dad about it once and he was like, "I'll tell you when I know."

"Huh. It is weird to think about my mom being with anyone besides my dad."

"Same."

"I don't know how I feel about it," she said digging her hands in her pockets to keep him warm. "Everyone talks about them behind their backs."

"Yeah, I hear it sometimes too but most people shut up when I come around."

"How would you feel? Honestly? If they are... involved?"

"My dad hasn't been fall down drunk in months, he goes to work, he's not getting arrested; If she's responsible, I'm kind of for it. It's like having my dad back again. And I don't mind your mom. I just don't know if she still hates me or not. I can't tell."

"I don't know if she ever hated you. She's just worried about me. All of the time. About everything."

"It sure felt like hate."

"Yeah; it always feels like that," she said as she let out a small laugh.

They were coming up on the newspaper office and she felt relieved to see there were no lights on which meant her dad was not there working late. They went up the steps, Betty unlocked the door, and they went inside. The two of them set to work looking around for anything that might tell them who had bought the paper.

Betty went right to her dad's desk and started sorting through the large stack of papers on top. Jughead opened up the file cabinet next to the desk and started flipping through the files. He didn't see anything that interested him so he shut the drawer and started looking around the bookcase next to it.

Betty thought that maybe her dad would try to lock up any hint of the buyer if this was some sort of silent deal, so she started tugging on all of the drawers in his desk until she got to one that did not just open.

"Here. It's got to be in here," she said trying other keys on her mom's key ring to get it open.

After she exhausted them she sat down defeated in her dad's chair to think. A shiny object in the pen cup on the desk caught her eye and she grabbed out the letter opener. Jughead crouched down next to her as she tried to jimmy it open. It only took a couple of tried before the drawer slid open. Inside the drawer was a bunch of files and she pulled the top one open. Jughead took it from her carefully as he started scanning the page as she opened another folder.

"Hmm, this is weird," he said looking up at her. "It looks like the buyer is... Hiram Lodge."

"Veronica's dad? That can't be right. What would he want with my parent's paper?"

"Maybe just a way to get richer. Or keep himself out of them."

"Well, he can't be our anonymous buyer, could he? What would he want with the Twilight Drive In or South Side High?"

"I don't know. How can we find out?"

"Do you think Veronica knows?

"Potentially. You should talk to her. She's your friend."

"Yeah, OK. I'll talk to her on Monday. Lets put that back and get the heck out of here."

"Good call. I'll walk you home."

"Are you sure? We are halfway to your place."

"You need an escort. I'm sorry as hell that Sweet Pea got hurt on my watch. We have to be twice as careful now."

"At least we know Malachi didn't buy my parent's paper. Ready to go?"

"Lead the way," he said stepping back for her to go out in front of him.

Jughead followed her out of the building and he watched Betty lock the door. Even though it was kind of weird to be hanging out with Betty again, he didn't want the night to be over yet. His stomach grumbled almost on cue so he could ask her to grab some food before taking her home.

Sitting across from her at Pop's made more familiar feeling well up in him and he shoved them down, hard. He could not be doing this right now. If he didn't have time for a girlfriend 6 months ago, he definitely didn't now and this girl was not single. Every time she smiled, had to remind himself over and over that they could only be friends.

He watched her put her hand on Sweet Pea's pin on her jacket and she was thumbing it over and over and suddenly, a tear ran down her cheek. Her hair then fell over her face as a full out sob started. It occurred to him now what an asshole he was, reminiscing about them when her boyfriend was laying in a bed at Riverdale General. He was at a loss at what to say so he got up and went to her side of the booth and put his arm around her.

"I don't know why I am crying!" she said wiping her eyes with a napkin.

"You've had a hard day."

"Yeah, maybe that's it." Suddenly she threw the napkin on the table and threw back her head. "Gah! I know why I'm crying; I hate that I am just crying about it."

"Do you, um, need to talk?"

"God, Jughead, you are the last person I should be talking to about this."

"I know it's weird, but I am the only one here."

"Fine! Do you want to know what is wrong? Sweet Pea is in the hospital because of all of this gang bullshit! I just don't know if I can do this."

"Can you elaborate on 'this'?"

"Violence? Fighting? Being a Serpent. The whole thing."

"Betty, I don't want to say I told you so but I tried to keep you out of the Serpents but you forced yourself in."

"I know that. It's what I thought I wanted."

"When I gave you that jacket, you said you would die for us."

"But I never thought that was an actual possibility!" she said a little louder than she should have and most of the other patron turned to look at her for a moment before turning back to their meals. "Sweet Pea would be so embarrassed of me; I'm such a coward."

"Betty, you are not even close to being a coward. And you are a fighter. You fought me every step of the way to get in, didn't you?

"Yeah."

"I think you really do have what it takes to be a Serpent. You are loyal and hardworking. And can I tell you a secret?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Will it make me feel better?" she answered as she continued to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Maybe? But I don't always know how do this either. I spent most of my life keeping my distance from the Serpents and here I am their leader! But I am going to see them through this because the future of the club rests on my shoulders. People's futures are in my hands. You care about them too, don't you?"

Betty did not answer him because she felt like she couldn't. She wanted to say yes but if she backed out now it would look bad if she admitted it. If she said no, that made her look cold, or worse, a liar.

"You don't even have to answer because I know you do. You take care with every bike that you work on because you want the owner to be happy. You show up to every Serpent meeting even if it early or freezing outside. You broke into your mom's newspaper because of a potential threat to us."

"Yes but-"

"And this one is hard for me personally to swallow, but you fell in love with one of us."

"Technically two."

"Yes, well; It's like you never judged us when everyone else in Riverdale did. You don't want to see us gone, do you?"

Betty had to think about his words carefully because what he was saying was true. She knew that fighting with the Serpents was the right thing to do. But her morals told her that violence was wrong. Maybe that's the issue she had been wrestling with this whole time. How could both things be right? Her life had already become a dichotomy, what was one more thing?

"No, I don't. I guess I'm in for what ever I have to do for the Serpents."

"Good. Now can I eat my food?" he asked as he side out of her side of the booth and sat across from her.

"Yes," she said laughing. "Who am I to keep you from your burger?"

"Damn right."

For the first time in a while, Betty felt reinvigorated. Somehow this night gave her the clarity that she needed and she was glad for it. Now she could stop thinking about the 'will she won't she?' of her staying in the Serpents and she could focus on what was important: protecting her family; maybe even from her best friend's dad.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: An Unwelcome Visitor

Betty woke up with a start, drenched in sweat, and at 2 AM. All night she had tossed and turned, dreaming about Sweet Pea dying in the hospital every way that one could imagine. Every time that should would doze off, something horrific would happen behind her eyelids and she would wake up and she wanted to cry.

Finally, she turned on the table lamp on her night stand and swung her legs to the side. She pressed into her eyes with her hands and then grabbed up her cell phone from next to it. She opened up her photo album and started scrolling through it, looking for pictures to make her feel better. Sweet Pea wasn't one for photos but sometimes she could catch him off guard if he and Fangs were doing something silly or he just wasn't paying attention. Seeing him whole and normal, not all bandaged up seemed to help, at least a little. Really she just wanted to talk to him but she knew he probably needed to rest. She sent him a quick message saying she missed him and she figured he would message her back in the morning.

She put her phone down and turned off her light getting back into bed. Her screen lit up a moment later so she brought it into bed with her thinking that maybe he had been awake, but it was just a social media notification. She cleared it and held it in her hand for a moment now wide awake. She thought for a moment about who would be awake this time of the night and she could only think of one person, Jughead. Would it be weird to text him? she thought to herself. They were mending their friendship and things had gone really well the day before. He was really good at making things make sense to her and had a way of comforting her that felt like in that moment, she really needed.

Against what she thought was maybe her best judgement, she sent him a message that asked if he was awake. Right away he answered that he was trying to work on a paper for their history class, but just couldn't focus. They went back and forth for a while, making fun of their teacher and the assignment before she got to why she had been awake herself.

Jughead definitely understood where she was coming from. It was hard to think about the fact that Sweet pea was in the hospital but even more was thinking about how much worse it could have been. He even had seemed almost nonchalant about it when he took him to the ER, like it was just a splinter. Jughead was surprised he was so cavalier about it because maybe in past, he could afford to be reckless because he had nothing to lose, but now he had Betty and a future with her would be over if he got killed. Sweet Pea was more confident in his ability than anyone else he knew and he hoped it would not be his downfall.

He pushed his own doubts away and continued to tell her that he was going to be fine until she said she was ready to go back to sleep. Betty of course thanked him profusely for talking to her, she hadn't meant to impose if she did. Jughead could never feel like she was imposing.

The next morning, Betty had to head to the garage for work. She hadn't been to Anderson's that much lately and she had missed the time by herself working on machines. When she got there, she slipped on her overalls and started the coffee maker as she was the first one there. Mr. Anderson came in a few minutes after her and when he saw her he gave her a big hug.

"Betty, how are you? I heard your boyfriend was in the hospital!"

"I'm doing OK. I was actually hoping that I could talk to you about that. Maybe I could take an extra long lunch today so that I can go visit him?"

"Of course. Take as much time as you need."

"Thanks, Mr. Anderson," she said as she grabbed her cup of coffee and headed into the cold garage.

She went over to the racking and walked out the first bike that she needed to get working on. She grabbed her tool cart and wheeled it over to where she usually did her repairs. She put in her ear buds, turned some music on her phone, and got to work.

It was almost lunch time when she finished what she had left over from the week so she dropped the keys and the bills at the desk and grabbed her coat to leave. The bell rang so she turned to help the new customer and in walked a petite blonde with large waves and a leather jacket.

"Hi, can I help you?" Betty asked, laying her belongings behind the counter.

"Yeah, I was looking for someone to take a look at my bike?" she said giving Betty an odd look.

"I have a minute, actually. Let me just get some info from you while I take a look at it. Can you drive it in?"

"Sure thing."

Betty grabbed a clipboard and printed out the papers that she needed for the customer's information and for an inspection. She rolled up the garage door for the woman to bring in her motorcycle. She waved her in and the woman pulled inside. When she came over to Betty, she snatched the clipboard that was being held out to her and then Betty started walking around the bike.

"So what do think needs attention? Brakes, engine?"

"Not really sure. It just isn't sounding right. Say, you weren't leaving when I came in were you? I don't want to hold you up."

"I was going to lunch but I can wait until I at least look for you. I just might not start work until after I take my break. To be honest my boyfriend is in the hospital so I was going to run over and visit him."

"Oh that's terrible," she said, sounding unconcerned. "Is he sick?"

"Um," Betty started to answer somewhat uncomfortably, "he um, was in an accident. Cracked ribs and everything."

"But he's going to make it?"

"Oh, yeah. He's stubborn," she said jokingly.

"Great," the woman said with an over the top tone of excitement. She slapped the pen she was using down on the clipboard and tossed it down on the ground. "Do you know what?" she asked as she went towards her motorcycle. "I think it's actually fine. My mistake."

Betty stepped back surprised as the woman got on the motorcycle and sped off. Through the woman's hair, Betty could make out a 'G' on the back of her jacket. Betty stooped down and picked up the clipboard. She looked at what the woman had written and hurriedly closed up the bay door and grabbed her things again to leave.

When she got to Sweet Pea's hospital room, she saw that he was not alone because his guardian and the doctor were there. She knocked on the door way and the doctor motioned that it was OK for her to come inside. The doctor closed his charts and shook George's hand before leaving the room. Sweet Pea pushed himself up in bed and smiled when she came into view. George turned to her and said, "You must be Betty."

"Yes! It's nice to finally meet you," she said shaking his hand as well.

"I think I ought to be thanking you. This was the first call I have had about this guy being in trouble for months. It's some kind of miracle."

"Well, I try to be a good influence; but you know him."

"Yes, I do. Well, kid, if you need anything just give us a call OK? Otherwise I will see you for your social work appointment next month. Don't forget; it's your last one."

"I won't," Sweet pea said. "Thanks, man."

"Happy to see you make it to your 18th birthday, kid. It's been a wild ride. Nice to meet you, Betty."

"You too," she said giving a small wave as he left the room. "So that was George, huh?"

"Yep. Good old, George. And it's you. I am so glad to see you."

"Yeah. I have to talk to you," she said taking a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. "I just got a visit at Anderson's."

She unfolded the paper and showed him what the woman had written. It said "Tell your boys Penny Peabody says 'hi'".

"What does that mean, Sweet Pea? Who is this woman?"

Sweet Pea had a very pissed off look on his face. "Penny came to see you? Where you work?"

"I guess? Who is she?"

"We call her the Snake Charmer. She used to be a Serpent lawyer."

"Used to be? Did she defect? It looked like the she had a Ghoulies jacket on."

"No, we uh, kicked her out. I swear to God if I tell you what happened, you can not freak out."

"Maybe it's better if I don't know."

"Probably is. But we stripped her of her Serpent membership and she has a huge hate boner for Jughead and now that she's a Ghoulie I guess she has it out for me."

"Oh my God! And I stood and talked to her!"

"What did she say?"

"She came in like she needed her motorcycle repaired and then I was tell her I was on my way out to come here. She asked if you were OK and when I said yes she flipped and left."

"OK," he said swallowing and closing his eyes. "Go into the hallway and call Jughead for me. Tell him exactly what you told me and about the note. He will know what he wants us to do."

Betty kissed him on the forehead and left the room. She walked down the hallway a bit to a seating area where no one was and tried to call Jughead. The phone kept ringing and went to voicemail so she hung up. As she was putting her phone in her pocket, it rang and she saw that it was Jughead calling her back. She went through everything that had just gone on and when she was finished Jughead for quiet for a moment before speaking.

"Betty, listen to me. You have to go ask to either get him released or have him put in a different room under a different name. I think she is going to come to the hospital to finish the job they started yesterday."

"Do you really think so?"

"This girl is insane. Yes. Call Fangs if you hit any snags, but my dad and I will be on our way soon."

"OK, see you soon."

With the click of the phone, Betty headed to the main desk and found herself quickly in an argument with yesterday's nurse about Sweet Pea getting moved. After being ready to punch the woman's head in she stormed off and called Fangs.

About 15 minutes later he arrived and met her in the lobby followed closely by FP and Jughead. She filled them in about how the nurse wouldn't help so FP went up to the desk. It only took a few charming smiles and she grabbed his chart and led them back to the hallway. The kids looked at each other and followed.

The nurse took his patient card and flipped it with another older gentleman who was getting released that day after a bad fall. She giggled as FP just smiled at her while chewing a piece of gum. He thanked her profusely and the nurse wrote something on a piece of paper before walking back to the nurse's station. He put the paper in his pocket as the rest of them just looked at him and laughed.

"Well, thanks for whatever that was Mr. Jones."

"You young Serpents are all like my kids. I'd do anything for you, including getting a little flirty with old and crusty up there."

"So now what do we do?" she asked, looking at Jughead.

"Fangs, you are going to park yourself outside of the other guys room until his family comes for him. I will stay with Sweet Pea. My dad will see if he can speed up getting Sweet Pea sent home."

"And me?"

"Betty, aren't you working?"

"Oh, Lord, I forgot! I hope Mr. Anderson doesn't kill me," she said as she started down the hallway. "Tell him I love him, OK? And I will call him when I get off!"

"OK."

When Betty got back to the garage, Mr. Anderson was locking the door. She ran up to him because it was odd that he was closing early.

"Hey, I am so sorry, I lost track of time and..."

Mr. Anderson turned and Betty saw that he had a black eye. "It's probably better that you weren't here, Betty. Two kids came and robbed the place a few minutes ago. I am heading over to the police station to make a report."

"Oh no, are you going to be all right?"

"I can handle myself in a fight. You should have seen the other guys."

"Can I ask what they looked like?"

"Young, Leather jackets but not like the Serpents. One had a blue mohawk and the other had crazy black hair, carried a bat with spikes on it."

Malachi! she thought to herself. Now even where she worked was not safe and a non-Southsider was the target of an attack. Poor Mr. Anderson.

"Well you should get going."

"Yes. I'll email you your schedule for next week. I didn't get any more motorcycles after you left."

"Sounds good, bye," she said as he got into his car to head to the police station.

Betty sat down against the door and put her head in her hands. This was just too much. These people were hurting people she cared about. Now she knew how Sweet Pea could have stabbed that Ghoulie. She felt it well up inside her and she needed and outlet. She hit the ground with her right hand over and over until blood poured from her palm. She brought it up and watched as the blood trickled down onto the ground.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Closer to Home

Betty didn't even know how she had gotten to Toni's house when she arrived there about an hour later but she was standing on her porch still bleeding from her hand. When Toni answered the door she pulled Betty inside and wrapped up her hand in a t-shirt that was lying on her couch.

She asked her what had happened and after they sat down, Betty filled her friend in what happened with Penny showing up at her job, what went down at the hospital, and then how Mr. Anderson got hurt. Toni wasn't surprised in the least that Penny would pull a stunt like that. She asked Betty if she was OK and she said she was fine.

But she wasn't fine. In fact she was so mad, she was angrier than she had ever been before. It's like she was finally snapping from everything crashing down in her life. Her parents' divorce, her mom losing the paper, Sweet Pea being in the hospital; it was all just too much. She couldn't sit by and watch it all anymore. She knew she had to act. She was ready to put on her paint and go to war.

"I have been thinking," Betty said fiddling with the faux dressing that Toni had put on her hand, "a lot about what we talked about when you slept over at my house."

"I have actually been thinking about it too."

"You have?"

"Yeah, girl. I've been worried about you."

Betty looked at her friend with a sympathetic smile. She had been going through some of this too. She was a Serpent by blood and Betty only through adoption. Toni was just given a jacket with a patch on her fourteenth birthday after taking care of a dog for a week while Betty had to earn the jacket and technically was still on probation. Toni had so much more to lose if the Serpents just disappeared.

"I wouldn't worry about me. I'd worry about Penny Peabody if she shows her face around me again. I'm going to fucking rip it off."

"As much as I appreciate that sentiment, are you so sure you up for delivering on that promise? Before, you weren't really in support of the violence."

"Seeing her show up at my job just did something to me. Like, If I don't do something, what is going to stop her from showing up here tomorrow? Or at my mom's house? Sweet Pea is the toughest person I know and he is in the hospital; injured to where he can't fight for himself. Even when he gets out, he isn't going to be one hundred percent for a while. It makes me want to step up. Show the Ghoulies I mean business. That we mean business."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I have no idea. But I have an something I want to do to start. But I will need your help."

Two hours later, Betty was staring at her forearm in the mirror. Getting a tattoo didn't hurt as bad as she had thought it was going to and she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Toni did a great job recreating Sweet Pea's exact tattoo down to the exact shade of green. Toni stood behind her smiling as she watched her swirl her fingers over the plastic wrap barrier that was protecting her new ink.

"I have to say, I was very wrong about you."

"What?" Betty asked puzzled.

"That night that you were at the Whyte Wyrm and you told me you wanted to pledge, I thought you would never make it. And God am I glad that you did because this gang is a freaking sausage fest. But this is not an easy life, as you are starting to see now. I didn't give you enough credit and that's why I suggested maybe you cut bait. And I just want to say sorry."

"Oh, Toni, you do not have to apologize. I don't hold anything against you... I wasn't even sure I could make it through myself until now."

"What do you think your man will say? Do you think he will like it?"

"I hope so."

Just then, the landline phone started ringing from Toni's dresser. Toni answered and after a couple of words exchanged with Fangs who was on the other end of the line, she let out a sigh of relief because for once it was good news, Sweet Pea was being released. George's wife was signing him out as they spoke and he asked if she had heard from Betty. Toni pulled the phone away from her ear so Betty could also hear.

"Yeah, she's right here," she said, looking over and shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll tell him. I guess he's been texting her and he was worried because she never answered."

Betty fished her phone out of her pocket. Dead, no wonder. She showed the screen to Toni who rolled her eyes.

"It's dead I guess. But she is fine. Are you guys going to bring him here?"

"Yeah we can do that. We should be there soon. Bye."

"Bye," she said hanging up. "Do you need a charger?" she asked teasing Betty.

"Guess so," she said, plugging her phone in to the charger next to Toni's bed and sat down.

Toni looked at her watch and swore under her breath. She started looking around for her work apron because she was going to have to leave in a little while. She did not want to leave Betty alone so she hoped Fangs really was going to be there soon.

"Do you have to go to work?" Betty asked as she saw her grab the garment out from under her bed. "I really didn't want to deal with what is happening at my house right now."

"Unfortunately, yes. You can stay here though. You and Sweet Pea are welcome to stay as long as you need."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, just don't like... leave sex germs all over my bed."

"Ha. Ha. No promises."

"At least put a towel down or something."

"Fair enough. Thanks again," she said, turning on her phone.

Toni walked down the stairs from her front door and Fang's truck pulled in yard. The doors popped open and Fangs leapt out to help Sweet Pea down from the passenger side. He tried to make a fuss about not needing help, but of course, Fangs insisted. Sweet Pea walked tall, but slower than usual and Toni could tell he was trying to hide that he was still hurting.

She gave him a light hug when she went to meet them, as to not squeeze his wounds too hard. She explained to him that he was welcome to stay here until he was feeling better and he thanked her. He was happy to not have to lay alone in his bed at the Whyte Wyrm just as he had mostly been alone at the hospital. They then helped him up the stairs and Fangs took him inside.

Betty was checking her messages when she heard the door open. It was so quickly after Toni had left, she assumed it was just her coming back because she had forgotten something. It wasn't until she heard voice call, "honey, we're home," that she realized that Fangs and Sweet Pea were there.

She dropped her phone back on the bed and sprinted into the living room. Fangs had helped her boyfriend to the couch and was setting down the bag of his stuff from the hospital. Her heart was pumping out of her chest as she turned the corner and she came into their view. Sweet Pea smiled from ear to ear as he saw her and put out his hand to grab hers as she got close.

"There is my perfect girl," he said as he tugged her down into his lap. He winced as she accidentally elbowed him in the chest but he opened his eyes at the crunchy sounds of the plastic wrap on her arm. He looked at the arm he wasn't holding and stopped her from moving with his free hand. Instantly she felt her cheeks become warm with embarrassment. She hadn't had time to tell him that she had finally gotten her Serpent stamp and she was embarrassed for him to just see it like this with no warning.

He steeled his brows and then looked right into her eyes. She was nervous as she awaited his judgement but he did not say a thing. She hoped he wasn't mad about what it looked like. She almost could take it no more when he took his hand and it put it on her cheek and drew her in for kiss. "You got your tattoo."

"Actually... I got your tattoo," she said shyly.

"So you did," he said kissing her again. "I have a feeling you have made up your mind about the Serpents."

"Definitely," she said putting her forehead to his.

Behind them, Fangs cleared his throat. The two of them looked over at him and Betty laughed as she got up out of his lap. "Not to break up this romantic reunion, but can I just give Betty the low down before I leave you guys alone?"

"Sure, what do I need to know?" she asked.

Fangs held up various bottles of medication and let her know when he had to take them and how much. Then he prattled on about making sure he drank water and took a hot bath and that she had to a make sure she changed his dressing and finally, she cut him off. He laughed, realizing he was going a tad overboard. Sweet Pea threw a TV Guide at him to give him the hint that they wanted to be alone and after some teasing between the boys, he said goodbye.

Betty sat down on the couch next to him and pulled an afghan from the back of it over them. She then put her head on his shoulder and held his hand under the blanket. Her stomach growled as it was way past dinner time now and they both got big smiles as the odd noise.

"I can't believe they let you out tonight. We were just there."

"They were pretty compelled to empty out the beds when someone tried to sneak in my old room at the hospital tonight."

"Wait, what?"

"The nurse went in to get the guy ready for his wife to pick him up and the window was open and he told someone in a black mask had jumped in the window and then back out. I think they realized the had the wrong guy once they got a look at him and aborted."

"Jughead was right. The Ghoulies were coming after you at the hospital. You aren't safe anywhere."

"Baby, I'm fine. You know if someone came after me I can defend myself."

"Not like this, you can't. You're hurt. I should call Fangs back to watch you."

"Betty, no. It's OK. Do not worry about me. Jughead and I will regroup with the Serpent Council and come up with a new plan."

"Of course I worry about you. I love you!"

"And I am damn thankful for it," he said shutting her up with a kiss to the lips.

She closed her eyes and kissed him back, relaxing into him. When he broke their kiss, she said to him, "You can't always just kiss me to keep me quiet."

"I can try though, can't I?"

He felt her sit back against the couch and snuggled back under the blanket. He gingerly took her arm to look at her tattoo again. He was floored that she just up and did it like this; Betty was the kind of girl who had a plan or a reason for everything. He was so flattered that she would get the same as his too but that also meant she had put at least some thought into it; thought about him. She made this big decision to mark her body and not just for the club but for him. He did not deserve her but for damn sure wasn't going to let anything tear them apart.

"So let me ask you a question," he said quietly. This was a tone that Betty didn't hear often but she knew that it meant he was about to be serious.

"Sure."

"What made you do this? You never do anything just because and the last time we talked about it you were on the fence about staying in the Serpents."

"Well last night Jughead and I went out for food and he kind of restored my faith... in myself."

"You and Jughead went to dinner last night? On Valentine's Day?"

"Babe, you know it's not like that."

"So Nancy Drew is back on the case with Hardy Boy number one, huh?" he asked sounding irritated.

"Why are you being like this?"

"I just, I don't know. It just makes me feel uneasy knowing you and Jughead are hanging out alone solving mysteries just like when you were dating."

"I promise. Nothing is going to happen with Jughead. Didn't I just literally get a tattoo in your honor put on my body for the rest of my life?"

"You did."

"Then you have to trust me; You want me to trust you too about stuff. Trust is a two way street."

"OK," he said rubbing his temples, "You're right. I'm just tired I think."

"Do you want to lay down?"

"No way! I've been missing you like crazy," he said kissing her forehead and down her cheek and into the crook of her neck. "I mean... I wouldn't mind laying down but I am not in the mood to sleep, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I think I do know what you mean."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Planting things. Like Seeds. And evidence

Later that night, when Betty got to her house she was somewhat surprised to see it was dark and her Mom's car was not in the driveway. She opened the door and kicked off her shoes before shutting the door behind her. She felt for the light and flicked it on and she was startled by her dad coming down the stairs.

Her dad put his hands up but then relaxed when he realized it wasn't Alice coming in the door. He came down and pulled Betty into a hug but she did not reciprocate. She was surprised and angry all in one; what was he doing there and how did he have the audacity to act like he gave a crap about her?

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

He looked embarrassed as he headed into the den and she followed him. He began rifling though the desk drawer and pulled out a few papers, closed the drawer and then went to another drawer.

"Look, I asked your mom if I could come get a few things and she told me she would leave so I could come over. But I have to hurry, she will probably be back any minute and I really don't want to see her right now.

Hal pocketed some cufflinks from the drawer as well as a watch and then pulled out something an odd shaped leather bag. He unzipped it to make sure it had the item inside and Betty could see inside it was a handgun. Betty was stunned at that revelation, she had no idea her parents kept a gun in the house. She opened her mouth to say something but the words didn't really form and it was just a soft babble. Hal saw she that she knew what was in the bag and his embarrassment turned into nervousness and he knew he had to explain it away.

Honestly, an odd thought came over her. She almost wished she had known it was in the house this whole time. It could have been very useful. Could still be useful. She could stop freaking out about getting attack by a Ghoulie on the way to school. Maybe end this thing with Penny Peabody once and for all. If only... she even knew how to use it.

"Betty, we just have it for protection. I promise."

"Oh, I, uh... I understand. It's fine. Just surprised is all."

"I was thinking about going to the gun range sometime soon so I thought I would just take it with me."

"Oh," she said, her mind going a mile a minute. "Maybe you could take me? I think it might be interesting."

"You'd want to do that?"

"Yeah, I mean; what kind of woman won't have to defend herself someday? I should probably learn, right?"

"Um, sure. Maybe... tomorrow after school? Just don't tell your mom. I don't think she would be too keen on us spending any time together."

"My lips are sealed," she said with a smirk.

The next morning at school, Betty got there early with the intent of finding Veronica to see if she could ask her if she had information on her dad buying her parents' paper and maybe any dealing he had on the Southside. She didn't see her outside so she went in to the student lounge. Veronica was sitting next to Archie over by the soda machine so she made her way over.

"Hey," she said as she played with the strap on her backpack. She always had a tell when she was up to something and she hated it. Maybe Veronica wouldn't notice.

"Well, isn't it our old friend Betty deigning to slum around with her non snake friends."

"Ronnie," Archie said, trying to say she was being rude.

"What? Betty hasn't talked to us, at least me, in like 3 weeks."

"That's not true, V! We just talked at Vixen practice last week."

"Oh, my bad, like that is so much better. What do you want?"

"Well, I missed you. That's why I'm standing here."

"Sure. And you are fidgeting because you missed me."

"Well I was nervous you would act this way. Please don't be mad at me. I've had a lot of shit going on."

"Yes and I had to hear all about it from someone else. Cheryl Blossom of all people."

"How does Cheryl know... never mind. I know who would have told Cheryl."

"Yeah, your new BFF with the pink hair who she is so into right now spilled her guts because apparently your life is falling apart but you don't even reach out to me!"

"Veronica, I'm sorry," Betty said, truly feeling apologetic. "Toni has just been around. She is my boyfriend's best friend so I see her a lot. You have not been replaced. I promise. You are still my Louise."

"Oh, no, I want to be Thelma. Geena Davis aged much better than Susan Sarandon. But I accept your apology."

"Thanks," Betty said, trying to think of how to change the subject, but there was no way she could ask Veronica about her dad after they just had a fight. "So guess what I got yesterday?"

"What, Betty?" Archie asked.

Betty smiled and scrunched up her sleeve so they could see her new tattoo.

"Whoa, savage," he said taking her wrist so he could get a better look.

"So what are you doing this weekend?" Veronica asked, not even paying attention to Betty showing off her body art.

Betty rolled her sleeve down and answered, "nothing."

"My dad suggested that Archie and I should go to my parent's cabin for a little pre-spring break relaxation and he said we should each bring a friend. Want to go?"

"Um, sure. That could be nice."

"Great. Well, I will see you later, OK? And call me once in a while, huh?"

"Yeah, V. Maybe we can go out for a milkshake after practice tomorrow and I will fill you in with everything that's been going on?"

"I'd like that a lot. See you."

Veronica got up to go to class and Archie followed waving a quick goodbye. As they left the room, Jughead slipped next to her out of nowhere and she shrieked when he touched her shoulder.

"Where the hell did you come from?" she asked catching her breath.

"Just over there. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with the Queen Bee. You are going to the cabin?"

"Yes?"

"Good. Me too. Archie asked me last night."

"You're going? Jughead, I can't go on a weekend away with you and another couple."

"Why not? It will be the perfect time to try and get dirt on her dad."

"Because I have a boyfriend! What will he think?"

"Don't worry; I will explain everything to him. Plus, he has a big job this weekend so he will be too busy working to worry about anything. I promise."

"You really think it's OK?"

"Of course. What could happen?"

"You're right. As long as he's OK with it... otherwise you have to play sick."

"Fine. Leave it to me."

"Fine.

At lunch, Sweet Pea slid into their lunch table next to her as she was reading and put his tray down rather loudly.

"Sorry," he said. "How's the book?"

"Good. It's just going to be forever before I finish and this report is due next week."

"Maybe you should skip the weekend at the cabin to do some homework."

Betty sighed and put down her book. "Jughead already talked to you."

"He did. It's just funny that I had to hear it from him."

"Don't be mad, I raised my own concerns right when I found out he was going. But he promised to fake sick if you said you weren't comfortable with it. Are you? Comfortable with it?"

"You both can go. It sounds like a total snooze anyway. And I have to work. Jughead did bring up a good point though; if anyone can figure out if Lodge has something to do with the Southside real estate grab, it's you. So you have to go."

"Thanks, I think. Well good. I promise I will have a crummy time without you," she said kissing him.

"You better," he said in between kisses and then pulls her closer by the lapels of her jacket.

"OK, knock it off you two," Jughead said as he sat down by them. "Eat your lunch, not each other."

It was still irritating to Jughead when the two of them acted so in love and he didn't want it to be that way. He had thought he had been doing better with seeing Betty in a relationship with someone else, he really did! But spending time with her lately made him think about her more and how he really did still love her underneath it all. Now that she was a Serpent it seemed like they could make things work; he almost couldn't remember why he had pushed to keep her out and was even helping to convince her to stay in. The trouble of course, was that now she was in love with someone else. If he was smart he would stop imagining that it was him she was kissing. Apparently, he was a fool.

After school she made excuses to Sweet Pea about why she had to go and hang out with her dad but how he could not mention it to her mom. She felt weird telling him that she was going to learn how to shoot a gun, especially since he made her promise she would stay out of any altercation. Not that she didn't trust that he could take care of her, this was just going to be a little insurance policy.

Her dad picked her up from school and it was a quiet and uncomfortable ride to the gun range in Centerville. Hal asked her basic questions about school and cheer-leading. She wanted to hound him with questions about why he was ruining her mom's life, but she knew if she did that, he wouldn't teach her to shoot. Instead she tried to think of inconspicuous questions that she could use to maybe get information on why he sold the paper or why Veronica's dad was interested in buying it. He evaded all of her questions like a slick politician and she did not learn anything besides that he didn't want to work with her mother anymore and that's why he found a buyer for the paper.

When they got to the gun range, he helped her pick out a light weight pistol to rent. She had been completely overwhelmed by the choices and she was glad for his help. The man behind the counter gave them eye and ear protection as well as two paper targets. "Lanes six and seven," he told them before they headed off.

"I'm glad you wanted to do this, Betty," her dad said as he clipped up their paper targets. "We don't really get to do anything these days."

"Yeah. It's nice," she lied. She would rather have been there with Ted Bundy than her dad but when else was she going to get this opportunity?

She held the pistol she had chosen in her hand and it was heavier than she expected. She almost wondered if she could just bean someone over the head with it. Her dad showed her how to load the gun and she got ready to take her first shot.

He stood behind her, giving her some tips and warning her about what he called "kick", or the force of the gun, and that it would push her back so she had to be ready. She held her stance and tried to aim at the target while holding her breath. This was it for her in a way; this was the moment where she left scared Betty behind and became a warrior.

Her first shot was a near miss from the paper head that she was trying to hit as she stepped back and the gun went up. Her dad said she was doing great and to try again. The second time she pulled the trigger she was ready and held her posture. She still didn't come close to the center of the target but she clipped the top of the paper. She didn't wait for her dad to say anything and she fired again hitting it in the drawn on ear. She unloaded two more shots and one was a far miss and another was at the bottom of the paper. Her dad tried to show her on his own target as she reloaded to try again.

As she saw the bullets shredding the paper face, she imagined that they were piercing Penny Peabody's skin. She emptied her own clip and even though she still had not hit the center of the target, she felt like she was really getting the hang of it. Her dad clapped her on the back and asked if she would want to do this again sometime. She figured she should be cordial and said yes.

She left the range with a sense of accomplishment. She now felt safer knowing she had her own defense skills. She was not going to let anything happen to herself now, or anyone that she loved.

A/N: I don't know much about guns so I apologize if anything isn't very realistic. I did try to do my research, IE ask my husband some questions!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Weird Science

Even though she had Sweet Pea's blessing to go on this weekend away to the Lodge's lake house, Betty still felt uneasy. She knew that Jughead had pretty much told her that she had a duty to the Serpents to go, but even though her and Veronica hadn't hung out a lot lately, she still considered her the best friend she had and she didn't love the idea of trying to use that friendship for personal gain.

She was shoving her favorite polka dotted pajamas into her weekender bag when her phone dinged and she paused her packing to read the message. Of course it was Veronica, reminding her that she needed to pack a swim suit because the lake house had a hot tub and to bring a nice dress in case they went out to dinner somewhere. Betty lofted her phone back to her bed so that she could now rummage through her dresser for a swim suit that had long been forgotten in the snowy weather.

She held her breath as she struggled to close the zipper on her bag and finally it gave way the last two inches. She shoved her cell charger in the outside pouch and she hoisted the bag onto her shoulder and headed downstairs to wait for Veronica to pick her up. She went and sat on the couch and played on her phone to kill time; all she needed were a few a few levels of Sweet Smash to calm her nerves,

A few minutes later she heard a car door slam and she was surprised to not hear a knock but a key in the lock. The door swung open and in walked Jughead with his school bag on and a pillow under his arm and then his dad who took the key out of the door an shut it.

"Did my mom give you a key, Mr. Jones?" Betty asked, teasing because she knew he was caught,

"Um, yeah. For emergencies... but if I have it, why wouldn't I use it?" he said flustered.

"Of course. For emergencies, not because you stay here almost every night."

"Uh-" he said still tongue tied.

"It's OK. We know," she told him as she motioned between her and Jughead.

She could swear that she saw him blushing under his stubble as his eyes narrowed, asking Jughead silently if it was true. Jughead shook his head affirmatively and put his hand on his dad's shoulder. "We just want you guys to be happy. But I think you should probably tell mom."

"I've actually called your mom. She isn't really interested in reconciling so..."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Dad. It was just a suggestion."

"Uh, OK. So you kids have fun this weekend... I'm going to go find Alice."

"She's cleaning out my dad's stuff in the garage," Betty told him and he walked off to find her mom.

Jughead put his stuff down on the floor next to the couch and sat down next to her. He tapped his hands on his legs nervously until Betty noticed and put down her phone and gave him her full attention. She shot him a look that asks what he wanted.

"So, this weekend," he started.

"Yeah?"

"Don't get too lost in the fun; we have a job to do."

"These are our friends, Jug. Don't forget that. Especially Archie! He has been our friend since we were tiny. Please don't make things awkward and leave the sleuthing to me. I think if she knows anything it will come out while drinking. She can't keep a secret while intoxicated."

"Great idea! But are you sure you can get her to drink?"

"I don't have to do anything to get that girl to party. Don't worry, Jughead. We got this. We don't even know if her dad has interest in the Southside. It could be completely unrelated that her dad bought the Register."

"I just have this feeling..."

"We will see," she said as her phone went off.

She answered the call and it was Archie saying that Veronica was almost to his house and they could just walk next door if they wanted. With one last warning to Jughead to not be a weirdo all weekend, they headed over to Archie's house. He met them outside on the porch and he offered his knuckles to Jughead as a greeting. Jughead reluctantly reciprocated and it made Archie smile. It was evident to Betty that Archie had been missing his best friend as much as Veronica had been missing hers.

They made small talk while waiting on their ride; Betty talked about her training at the garage and Archie talked about his new internship he just started at Lodge Industries. Jughead raised his eyebrow at the idea of him working for Veronica's dad but he didn't say anything at all, per Betty's warning.

Veronica's driver soon pulled up a Jughead elbowed Betty lightly in the ribs. "Nice wheels" he called out as Veronica rolled down her window. She waved and mouthed a thanks to them. Betty put her hand where Jughead had nudged her but looked up to see what got him so excited; Veronica arriving in her dad's black town car.

"It means nothing," she hissed as they head down the steps. "Be. Nice."

"Betty, it's like you don't know me at all," he said grabbing her bag from her and lugging it to the car. She threw up her hands as she replied to him, "I know you too well. That's the problem."

After everyone was settled into the car, Veronica thanked them for coming. She needed this weekend away so badly. Apparently she was having a leadership spat with Cheryl over the direction of the new routine for the Vixens and it has been giving her a headache. Jughead had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Her biggest problem is a fight with Cheryl while his crew was fighting for their lives. He looked at Betty, the bridge between his world and the north side of town; he wondered how she looked at things these days. Her face read concern but her eyes seemed far away; no telling what was going on in her brain.

Sitting this close to Jughead gave her a warm feeling and it surprised her. That's the thought that she was lost in; why was she like this? She loved Sweet Pea but she was here thinking about how nice it would be to grab his hand and hold it for a while. Their past history gave them this strange connection that she didn't know how to handle. From being at his trailer, to investigating her dad and Hiram Lodge, even to working late into the night with him when she had software problems trying to get the Blue and Gold into print; it all felt like this... deja vu. That was the best way she could describe it. It's like they had been there before, because they had, but now they were on another side of a mirror.

Truthfully, in the darkest part of her heart, she thought about what it would be like if they could get back together. It almost made sense now that she was a Serpent. Like what objections could he come up with now? She almost wondered if he had orchestrated this whole thing of going away this weekend to be alone with her. Her head ached thinking of all of the ways this weekend could go sideways with these feelings slowly cresting and falling inside of her.

She knew that thinking this way was unfair to her boyfriend but she couldn't stop herself. She also knew that Jughead wasn't who she really wanted, not anymore. It kind of was a curiosity now, the what could have been but it isn't the should have been. After all was said and done, she ended up with the right person; right? _Focus, Betty_ , she thought to herself. She realized that in her anxiousness her thumb had ended up in her mouth and she had chewed the nail off and the nail bed was bloody. She pressed it under her knee to stop the bleeding, hoping no one would notice.

After a half an hour or so, they arrived that the Lodge's lake house. When Jughead stepped out of the car, his breath was taken away by how beautiful it was there. The woods were picture perfect as was the lake behind the large cabin. He grabbed his bag and Betty's and carried it towards the front door. Archie struggled to get his items as well as Veronica's because instead of packing for the weekend, she packed for a whole week. Her driver was giving her instruction from her dad as the waited outside the door for her to come unlock it.

"Welcome to our summer home," she said letting them in. "I fondly call it, Lodge Lodge."

"Very punny," Jughead mused aloud but Veronica did not see it as a criticism but a compliment.

"So upstairs are both a room for you and Jughead and then Archie and I will be staying here in the master on the main floor. If you want to head upstairs and get changed, I am so ready for us to start some dinner. And I have to make you guys my specialty, jalapeno margaritas!"

Betty gave Jughead a knowing look as she took her bag out of his hands. They headed up the stairs to the second floor and walked around peeking in rooms until the found bedrooms. They settled in across from one another and Betty changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top, ready for an evening of lounging around. She shot a quick text to Sweet Pea that she missed him and hoped he had a good night working. Jughead had made sure he was on a work crew this weekend so he didn't have to sit home and be bored while Betty was gone. It almost seemed a friendly gesture but maybe a bit selfish because that also meant she would not be distracted from their mission.

She went downstairs and met her friends in the Lodge's elaborate kitchen. Veronica had a bunch of vegetables out on the counter and she was trying to instruct Archie on how to dice them up for whatever kind of Mexican dish it looked like she was concocting. When Veronica saw her come into the room she sat down her spatula and ran over to her with a drink.

"Seriously girl. You will love this!"

Betty sipped her drink and it wasn't bad. Not really her safe style but it was drinkable and she knew that if she was to encourage Veronica's drinking she would probably need to partake at least a little herself. She 'cheers'ed her friend and Veronica emptied her first drink and started on her next. She directed Archie's veggies into the pan as Jughead entered the room. Betty helped herself to more of Veronica's pitcher of margaritas and made one for him to drink.

He gave her a look, she knew he wasn't a huge drinker; a great example was Betty's celebration party at the Wyrm all those months ago when he proved he couldn't hold his liquor. She encouraged him to drink up; maybe if he had a few, he would just relax and not go crazy trying to nail Veronica's dad for being the anonymous Southside buyer..

After dinner, most everyone in the house was a little drunk and Veronica suggested they get in the hot tub. Everyone thought that sounded like a great idea and they all changed into their bathing suits. There were already more drinks waiting around the hot tub area when everyone came back down, Veronica made sure as she was playing world's best hostess.

When Betty slid into the warm water it felt great on her body. She closed her eyes and a moment later she felt a small splash next to her as someone got in but then she felt a big one; it had to be someone splashing her on purpose. When she opened her eyes, Jughead was next to her smiling and going to shove more water at her. She laughed and reciprocated and this went back and forth between them until they were soaking wet. Veronica and Archie came outside and she looked kind of mad. Betty wiped the water out of her eyes and looked somewhat embarrassed. She leaned back against the side so that they could get in and they sat across from her. Veronica grabbed one of the drinks she had set next to them and Betty watched Jughead grab another as well and just toss it back. Veronica clapped a little and acted impressed. He smiled smugly and leaned back onto the seat next to Betty. He put his arms up on the side and looked up, almost putting his head against the cold cement around the outside. Betty knew this look on him; Jughead was on his way to fall down drunk. Some help he was going to be.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I know I have been MIA. Honestly I have been working on this chapter for 3 weeks and I still hate it. I promise; it gets better. I just had to publish and rip off the band aid.

Chapter 14: Mistakes Were Made

"So, Veronica," he said still looking up, I heard a rumor that your dad," now he was looking straight at her, "bought the Riverdale Register. Why would he do that?"

 _Dammit, Jughead. Way to play it cool._

She looked taken aback but she remained calm and took a sip of her drink. Archie put his arm around her and gave her a sympathetic look.

"I was afraid this would come up," she replied. "Betty, please don't be mad at me for what my father did."

"I'm not mad," Betty said defending herself. "But I am curious where his sudden interest in journalism came from. My parents built that paper. Do you know if my dad was eager to sell? Because of my mom, maybe?"

"Oh Betty, I know, your parents getting divorced is horrible. Archie's parents are divorced, you know. We know how hard it is."

At this Jughead had to roll his eyes and began looking up again.

Despite that, Veronica continued on, "My dad was looking around for new investments and yes, he heard your dad was interested in selling. I swear he will do nothing to ruin your parents legacy or anything."

"I believe you, V," Betty said.

"Good! Can I get a hug? I have just missed you so much!"

Betty knew this was the alcohol talking; Veronica was now in truth mode and secrets were brimming to be spilled. Now how could she get her to talk without it seeming too obvious. She gave the asked for hug and as Veronica backed up, she exclaimed," let's play secrets and sins! I am pretty sure I still have an old game I started here somewhere."

With that, Veronica got out of the hot tub and started looking around the tables.

"What are you looking for?" Archie asked. "You don't need anything to play secrets and sins."

"I have been compiling secrets and sins scenarios since I lived in New York. That way you don't have to think of anything on the spot; You always just draw one and then either ask the question or tell your person to do the sin. And these, I promise you, are extremely sinful."

"Oh, that's neat," Betty said getting out, having an idea of how she could maybe get some answers out of Veronica without having to grill her. "Can we add some too?"

"Yes, please do. Let me find paper and you can do some while I find my envelopes."

Betty took the paper and pen that Veronica handed her and she quickly wrote down a couple of probing questions about dads and illicit activity and prayed Veronica would have to answer one of them. Moments later, Veronica emerged with two laminated envelopes and asked everyone to sit around the edge of the hot tub and to dry their hands before drawing.

"You should go first V, since its your house!" Betty said dropping her suggestions into the correct envelope.

"OK. Secrets is the safest choice truthfully. You guys have not seen the stuff in that sins envelope. But lets make it interesting... each person can pick secret or sin for the round but we all have to answer or do the sin."

Betty reached her hand in to the bag and tried to reach on top for one of the ones that she had just added as she nodded to agree with Veronica's rule change. To her dismay, she had grabbed one not supplied by herself. "What is your favorite sexual position?" she read out loud and her ears got a little red.

"I told you, these are rough! Honestly, missionary. I know it's vanilla but I like to be able to look in my partner's eyes." She put her hand onto Archie's thigh and looked in his eyes and he blushed and let out a small laugh. "Me too," he answered.

Jughead asked if he could say oral sex as an answer, and Archie said, "Yeah, bro. Good answer."

Then all eyes were on Betty as she was trying to come out with the right thing to say and finally she answered, "up against a wall. Hands down."

Jughead looked at Betty and she could see he seemed bothered by hearing her talk about sex since he knew that this had definitely not happened with him.

"Your turn," Veronica said to Archie and he thought for a second before answering.

"Um," Archie said as he thought, "How about sins? I'm brave."

Veronica reached into the envelope and pulled out a slip of paper and read it to her boyfriend. "Sorry, Archiekins. It says you have to show your ass to everyone in the room."

Archie took a large sip of his drink and stood up with his fingers on the waistband of his trunks. "Is it took late to change to a secret?" he asked laughing, knowing the answer. Veronica shook her head no and she laughed at him and goaded him on. Finally he turned around and mooned his friends as the girls whooped and Jughead overly acted disgust, before pulling up his bottoms and sitting back down.

"I can't believe I did that," he said with a laugh. Each of them did the same quickly and sat back down. It was getting hard to look each other in the eye now as things were getting racy and everyone was getting more drunk. "Now... Betty, secret or sin?"

Betty hadn't thought this part of playing through. Did she really want to spill her biggest secrets or do something silly in front of her friends? Eh, what could she do now?

"Secret," she answered as she watched Jughead get up to get what she supposed was another drink. His legs were wobbly from alcohol combined with being out of the water but he made it over to the minibar and poured another drink into his glass which he started drinking before he sat back down.

"OK, Betty," Archie said getting her question. "Answer the question 'what is your biggest regret?'"

Betty had to think about that question because nothing came to mind right away. Maybe something with her sister and how their relationship ended? Or something she said to her mom? Finally she settled on something and said, "waiting to get my Serpent tattoo. I should have done it right away but I struggled with whether I really belonged there. Thank God for Jug, he convinced me finally that I did."

Jughead looked over at her and gave her a half smile and said, "you're welcome, Betts."

Veronica answered, "I would say it would be how I used to treat girls in my old school in New York. I was a real bitch."

"Maybe for me it's that I didn't spend as much time as I could with my mom before she moved to Chicago. I miss her so much. I mean, my dad is great and all... but it isn't the same."

Jughead looked down for a minute and said he didn't really want to say.

"You have to say; its the rules," Veronica said.

Finally he breathes in and says, "breaking up with Betty when I still loved her."

That shook Betty for a second. Apparently alcohol was Jughead's truth serum as well. Out of everything that had happened in his life, THAT was his biggest regret? She didn't really want to go down that path of thinking because she was drunk and a little vulnerable. She took a drink from the glass nearest to her that had not been claimed; if this was going to be how this game went, she was going to need it.

"On that note, Jughead, your turn," Veronica said trying to clear the air.

"Sin. For sure," he said, not wanting to have to revisit that particular conversation.

Veronica pulled out a slip and read it to the group, "kiss someone in the room for 15 seconds, open mouths and tongue are allowed."

Everyone looked at each other for a second and Betty said, "it's late, we should go to bed."

"Not until we do this one. It has already been read," Veronica replied.

"Well I pick you of course," Archie said, pulling her in for a passionate kiss. He put his hand on her cheek as the two of them tangled tongues until Betty told them it was way past 15 seconds. "So how about you, Betty?" he asked. She stepped forward and said, "I guess I also choose Veronica. We kissed once before, remember?"

"Yes. Our cheer tryouts," she said swimming over to meet Betty in the middle. She leaned in and whispered, "someone time us" as she leaned in to kiss Betty softly. This was not like the kiss that Veronica had shared with Archie, filled with passion, but a chaste kiss that lasted the minimum time. Betty stepped back when Archie called time and blushed and the two girls laughed, especially Veronica who she had to guess was very drunk as she tasted a lot of alcohol on her breath.

At last, it was Jughead's turn. Veronica joked and asked if she was going to be three for three in kissing everyone in the hot tub but he should his head 'no'. Betty opened her mouth to tell Archie to pucker up when Jughead moved in and kissed her instead. She felt him relax into her lips as he put his arms around her but she stepped out of the kiss and moved away from him as he was about to deepen it. She looked at him, feeling betrayed somehow and fled the hot tub with Jughead calling after her.

"Shit," he said as he also got out and tried to follow her inside.

"Well that went well," Veronica said as she stood up and wrapped herself in a towel.

"Yeah," Archie mumbled as he did the same.

The two of them went inside but they did not see either Betty or Jughead anywhere. Veronica blew out the candles on the dinner table and Archie turned off the lights in the living room. They headed into their bedroom and shut the door, trying to make it bed without falling over.

A/N #2: I am sorry. So, so, sorry.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Cooking on the Engine

Jughead was now standing outside Betty's door, knocking and softly calling her name. He could hear her in the other room, breathing heavily, which meant she was probably crying. He knew her so well that he could almost see her on the other side of the door in his mind, pacing the room and trying to calm herself down.

"Betty, please open the door. I'm sorry."

He could hear her shuffle to the door but it did not open. Eventually as small voice said, "I can't."

"Why, not? It's just a game, Betts. I didn't think you'd mind, it's not like we have never kissed before. Betty, please just let me in. We can talk about it."

The door swung open and Jughead was met with Betty's lips on his. His eyes flew open in surprise and stepped back in confusion. Her name fell off his lips as he saw want in her eyes. This was a dream, he thought to himself. This has to be a dream. He knew he shouldn't do this but the alcohol was impairing his brain and he couldn't think of any reasons why not. He finally stepped forward and returned the kiss.

As he began to hold her, she felt herself go slack in his arms, unable to hold herself up. Apparently, she thought to herself, she had had a lot more to drink than she thought. Every thought and action after that one was a blur to her until it faded to black.

When Betty woke up the next morning she rolled over to try and close the curtains that were letting just too much sun in and she was met with something hard. A body in fact, one she recognized.

"Jug. Jug!" she said trying to shake him awake.

"Mmrm," he mumbled and put his pillow over his head.

"Jughead. Wake. Up!"

She stopped with the shaking because it didn't seem to get him to get up so she ripped the pillow off until he sat up. He rubbed his head and when he opened his eyes and saw her sitting there expectantly, he was confused. He didn't remember falling asleep here. Honestly, he didn't remember falling asleep at all.

"Did I sleep here?"

"Obviously. But I don't remember much of anything from last night. Did we, you know?"

"I don't think so. I just remember coming here and... Oh... well I mean I remember us kissing. Why did we?

"I guess because we were drunk?"

"Dammit! We so fucked up. I told Sweet Pea he could trust me." He sat up on the pillow knocking her back a little. "Seriously, why did you kiss me?"

"I kissed you? You kissed me! In the hot tub!" she said a bit pissed. "

"But it was for a dare. I didn't feel comfortable kissing anyone else!"

"Really? That's why you did it? Then how did we end up here?"

Jughead was quiet for a moment and looked at her and sighed. He knew that there really was more behind it all, brought out by way too many margaritas. Spending all the time he had with her over the last couple of weeks was digging up their history for him and honestly, he was still as enamored with her as he had been the last year. He had kissed her on purpose, maybe if it was only at a subconscious level. He still loved her and wanted her but at what cost? "OK," he answered. "That's not all it was."

"You still are... in love with me, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. But what can we do about it? You have a boyfriend. I shouldn't have done this. I shouldn't even be here," he said getting out of the bed.

He wanted to stay more than anything. He wanted to get back in her bed and kiss her until the morning was over and then wake up and make love to her. But he knew that what he wanted wasn't the right thing. She had a boyfriend. And they had been happy. Now he may have ruined it for them.

"Betty, this should never have happened. We are going to pretend this never happened; never talk about it, never tell anyone about it. We were drunk, it doesn't mean anything."

"It means something for you. I can't ignore that."

"Yes. You can. Betty, you just got Sweet Pea's fucking brand on your arm? There is no discussion here. It was just us being stupid."

Betty knew that Jughead was right; she was the world's worst person. Selfish. Horrible. Some part of her had wanted to kiss him too or she wouldn't have pulled him into her room. But if she didn't tell Sweet Pea, wasn't that dishonest? It was just kissing but, drunken or not, wasn't it still cheating? She had no idea what would hurt her more; that she had kissed someone else that or the she was about to be complicit in covering it up.

"I won't tell a soul and it will never happen again."

"So we are in agreement? This never happened?"

"Yeah. It never happened."

"Good. I'm gonna go... to my own room. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," she said laying back down and curling up in her blanket, trying to go back to sleep.

When she woke an hour later. she had a headache the size of Texas and she had enough self loathing to fill it. She wished that she could just stay in that bed until she turned to dust, instead of having to face Jughead after what had happened the last night. She rolled away from facing the window to shade her eyes from the sun that was still flowing into the room, but she heard her phone vibrate on the night stand next to her so she had to roll back over to see who was messaging her.

To make things worse, the message was a sweet morning message from Sweet Pea, saying how much he missed her and that he would have preferred her to be in his tent versus Fangs and his stinky feet. She had to laugh, imagining them fighting over smelly feet but it quickly turned into tears that would not stop. She hated herself for her actions the night before and she knew that she did not deserve him; not even a little.

She finally wiped her eyes and walked into the en suite bathroom. She ran herself a hot bath, hoping she could melt the sludge she felt covered in off. She got in and sunk far down under the water until just her face was outside. She dunked her head under and the hot water scalded her eyelids but she stay under as long as she could until she came up panting. She knew that nothing was going to really make her feel better; she had royally fucked up.

After getting out of the bath, dressing, and blow drying her hair, Betty headed out to the kitchen to see if she could get some breakfast. When she walked in, the first person she saw was Jughead, eyes dark like he had not slept a wink, sipping a cup of coffee sitting on a stool at the counter. Archie was standing behind Veronica rubbing her shoulders as she flipped what looked like pancakes.

"Oh, hey sleepy head," she said when she saw the Betty had joined them. "I'm making applesauce pancakes!"

"Don't be mad but I do not feel like eating."

"You need some aspirin and some coffee, then carbs. It works like a charm."

"As you can see," Jughead said drolly without looking out of his cup, "I am on step number two."

"Got it," she said grabbing the bottle of pills that Veronica had set out off of the counter. She downed 2 of them and chased them with a big gulp of coffee that Archie poured for her.

She sat down next to Jughead but he would not look at her. Betty felt even more broken inside having him ignore her. Her heart was screaming, 'talk to me!' but she was smarter than to try and start this in front of their friends. Soon there was food in front of her and she picked at her pancakes until Archie asked Jughead to go and have some bro time with him, leaving her alone with Veronica.

"Crazy night, huh?" Veronica commented as she scraped their plates into the trash can. She put their dishes in the dishwasher and came and sat next to Betty.

"You aren't kidding."

"What happened after we went to bed last night?"

"Um," Betty said, her mind racing trying to come up with an answer on the fly. "Can I plead the fifth?"

"Really? That good huh? I won't ask."

"Thanks. I just want to forget last night. What I do remember any way."

"Yeah it is a little spotty for me too. I will not be drinking for a while, for sure."

After a few moments she then asked if Betty wanted to go shopping and since she was happy to do anything besides sit around moping, Betty agreed. The two of them got dressed and headed in to town for a few hours of mindless fun. They hit every tourist trap on the lake within a mile of the cabin before Veronica's thirst for spending had been quenched and they went back to the cabin to find the boys.

The boys were found easily from the 'thwack'ing of an ax to wood as Jughead and Archie split logs behind the cabin. Both of them were beaded in sweat and Jughead seemed out of breath. As he raised his ax he saw Betty and Veronica coming down the hill and he brought it down as hard as he could. He had hoped that the physical act of breaking something apart would help him feel more put together but it really didn't. He had messed things up so badly with Betty and Sweet Pea; how could he let himself get so carried away last night? He wanted to blame the drinking but he really couldn't, he had wanted what had happened to happen for a long time and he just could not bring himself to turn away what he so craved. He still loved her with everything in him but he knew her heart was not his to keep.

"Hey, anyone interested in some lunch? Betty and I brought back some great stuff from the market."

"I am starved," Archie answered and dug his ax into the ground and took off his gloves. He threw them down next to his ax and walked to towards the girls. Jughead put his as down too and silently followed them into the house.

After lunch, they pulled out some board games to play after Archie joked that he would do anything to pass the time besides play secrets and sins. Betty tried to have fun as her and her friends spent some family friendly time, but things were still on her mind. She was lost in thought for a moment and startled by the sound of a phone ringing and everyone's hands went to their cells. Jughead was the winner of the phone call lottery and got up to take the call. He was gone for quite a while and Veronica advocated for skipping his turn.

Finally Jughead rejoined his friends and sat down with a perturbed look on his face. "So," he started. "Veronica, can you be honest with me?"

"Uh, yeah, sure Jughead," she answered questioningly.

"Is your dad the anonymous buyer who purchased Southside High?"

"Jug!" Betty said reprimanding him. The had agreed to play it cool and this was so not playing it cool.

Veronica looked at his in the eyes and calmly asked, "Why would you think that?"

"Because he just bought the land underneath Sunny Side Trailer Park. Like where I live? Or lived before his equity company came in and served eviction notices this afternoon."

Veronica looked puzzled at that news and Betty could tell that she had not been privy to this information ahead of time. She moved in her seat like she was uncomfortable and sighed. "I didn't know he was going to do that."

"Buy it or kick us out?" Jughead challenged. He was putting things together in his head at lightning speed now.

"I knew he was going to buy it. But I swear, I thought it was more investments, like the Register."

"Veronica," Betty said, now cluing in to where Jughead was going, "why is your dad trying to buy up the whole town?"

"It's just business. That's what he said. And it's not really the whole town; just the south side."

"But that's-" Betty started.

"-my territory," Jughead finished. "That has been Serpent land since before this town was even founded, ergo, it's mine. I may not own it but I run it and it is under my protection. Did your dad tell you to invite me so I wouldn't be there when this deal when down?"

"He suggested we invite you but he didn't say... he doesn't tell me everything."

"Did he tell you why he wants with the south side anyway? It's not like it is good land. No fertile ground, no mines or anything."

"Some development he wants to build. He needs land and people on the south side need money so..."

"So people would sell to him," Betty said finishing her sentence. "But then why did he buy my mom's newspaper? It's on the north side."

"So that your mom wouldn't write about it,Betty," Jughead answered her seething. "Own the paper, control the press, right, Veronica?"

"He knows you are a Serpent now, Betty," she said sympathetically to her friend.

"Let me spell it out for you Betty," Jughead butted in. He had a look of desperation and venom came from his lips as he spoke. "He needs the paper to stay on message with being anti-Serpent so when he chases us out of our homes no one will complain. We are just no good criminals, right?"

"Jughead," Archie said, finally saying something. "Mr. Lodge is creating jobs for Riverdale. Isn't that what all of the Serpents need? Jobs? And he is going to clean up the south side and it will be a better place for you to live."

"Archie are you insane? He is kicking us out so he can 'rebuild the South Side'. Then we can work for him and beg to move back into our homes after he jacks up the rent. That's fucking indentured servitude and I refuse to be a part of that. Betty, pack your stuff, we are leaving."

Betty was completely dumbfounded. How could Veronica keep all of the secrets from her? She had known about the buyout at her mom's paper. She knew that Southside High was going to be closed and sold. And she was mad because she hadn't called her when Sweet Pea was hurt? Bullshit. With a disgusted look, she followed Jughead up the stairs to grab her bags.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Outbreak

It was another Monday night where Hal had picked Betty up from school for them to go to the gun range and she was ready to get out some anger. She had felt lately that her blood was always boiling beneath the surface and her only emotion was rage. She was mad at Veronica. She was mad at herself. She could hardly stand to be in the same room as Sweet Pea since she and Jughead had kissed because she was terrified her big secret would come out. She didn't think he could tell that she was being distant; he was on patrol almost every night until the early morning and he was a zombie every day at school. No one had seen Penny or Malachi for a month but there had still been vandalism across town as a constant reminder that Ghoulies were not leaving them alone.

With graduation fast approaching, Betty had been also keeping herself busy. She was on the prom committee, finishing up her volunteer work, and studying for exams. When she was not at school, she was combing through law books at the library with Toni and Jughead trying to figure out they could get out of the eviction order from Lodge Industries, especially because the date was coming fast.

Today though, had been an odd day at school. FP had called Jughead during free period to let him know that Veronica's dad had decided to lift the eviction order. Jughead did not believe it was out of the kindness of the cold business man's heart and he was justified when later he learned that Veronica's mom was planning on running for Mayor. 'We forgave your debt, vote Hermione Lodge' seemed like an odd campaign slogan but it effectively would work on the down and out folks who lived on the south side.

Betty had to admit, she was getting a lot better with a pistol. Her dad even seemed proud of her marksmanship; enough so that after this lesson, he told her she should take their family's gun home. He had just bought a new one for himself and wouldn't need that one anymore. Of course, he urged her to put it back in the drawer without her mom knowing, so she wouldn't ask questions. Betty nodded to this request but she knew she was not going to be putting it back in the study but keeping it in her bedroom in case one night Penny decided to come in through the window.

After they finished, she packed it in her school bag and he dropped her off Pop's. Her mom had a job interview late that day and had asked her to take care of food, which meant for her having FP hook them up with something from the diner. She hoped he hadn't seen her get dropped off by her dad because she knew he would 100% tell her mom and she did not need any questions.

He greeted her when she came closer to the counter and she breathed a sigh of relief as he had just come from the back. He wiped his hands on a towel hanging off of his apron and leaned on the counter. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Cooper?" he asked.

"My mom was hoping I could place a dinner order?"

"Oh sure. I am getting out of here at 7. I could maybe bring something by."

"That would be great, actually. I have to get home to do some homework so I guess I will see you later?"

"Are you going home alone?"

"Yeah. I was just going to walk," she said, hefting her school bag up on her shoulder more and adjusting the strap.

"Let me call Jughead to walk with you," he said grabbing out his cell as he lowered his voice to add, "you know it isn't safe right now."

"I'll be OK, Mr. Jones. I promise."

"No, really. Let me get you an escort; take a seat you can have some hot chocolate while you wait. I insist."

Betty took up a stool at the counter and nervously fiddled with the zipper on her jacket as FP called Jughead. She felt self conscious the longer she that there; the handgun burning a hole in her bag. She felt like everyone was staring at her and they knew that she had it and she felt her leg start to anxiously bounce up and down. Her unease lessened when she was presented with the promised hot chocolate and she pulled a couple dollars out of her back pocket to pay. FP shook his hand at her, saying it was on him and she stuffed the bills back.

A few minutes later, Betty heard the bells on the door jingle and Jughead was there to walk her home. FP put a to-go cup of coffee down for him to grab and with a quick "thanks, dad" he was ready to go. She took one last gulp of her warm drink and zipped up her jacket to head home.

As they walked, Jughead looked like he had something to say; he would take a breath, open his mouth, but then shove his hands deeper in his pockets and not say a thing. The two of them had not hung out alone much since the weekend at Veronica's and Betty had a good idea of what he was trying to talk to her about so she mustered up the courage to breach the subject herself.

"I haven't told him. If that's what you want to know."

"Oh. That's good, I guess."

"But I have made up my mind; I think I have to."

"Betty, you can't. No one can know."

"I just feel so dirty. What if he forgives us? I mean, we were drunk."

"Are we talking about the same Sweet Pea? He's a charging rhino when he's pissed off."

"I don't know what to do. I don't feel normal around him anymore."

"It will get easier, hopefully, with time."

Betty couldn't answer him. It hurt so badly and it fueled the anger that had been there the last few weeks. She was mad that someone had physical hurt her boyfriend? What she did could emotionally destroy him.

The two of them turned the corner onto Elm Street and they heard a rustling from the trees behind them and a thump. As Jughead turned around to see behind him, he instantly realized who had jumped out at them and got between him and Betty. Standing there was his worst nightmare; Malachi, oddly unarmed.

"Jones," he greeted him with disdain.

"Malachi."

"I was sad that we didn't get to really chat the other day. I don't know what go into my boys."

"I'm sure. What the hell do you want?" Jughead asked seething.

"Just wanted to chat, I promise. Who's this pretty thing behind you? Is she yours?"

More rustling startled the two of them as another familiar face.

"Oh, no. This one belongs to your friend Sweet Pea. Remember me? We've met."

Betty put her hand to her book bag and but on a second thought she put it down. She wished she could have pulled out her dad's gun and ended this right here, right now but she knew that it was foolish to pull a gun out in public.

"Yeah, I remember when you showed up at my job, Penny."

Malachi looked her up and down and it was the sleaziest she had every felt. She got closer to Jughead to where she could almost feel his body heat radiating off of him. Malachi picked at one of his finger nails as he continued.

"That guy that got his ass kicked, huh? If you were ever interested in trying out a better model, you just let me know."

"No, thanks."

"Pity. Tell him I missed getting to visit him in the hospital. He wasn't in his room when I dropped in."

Jughead closed his eyes for a second, he did not love how this conversation was going. Honestly, he just wanted it to end and get Betty out of there. "What do you want, Malachi?"

"You are not one for pleasantries are you? Well, I have a proposition for you, and the Serpents."

"You should hear us out too. Its the best offer you are going to get," Penny piped in and Betty gave her a dirty look.

"As you know, we have had some interest in the Southside for a while. We want to expand our enterprise."

"You mean, your drug enterprise," Jughead replied sarcastically.

"Yes, and we need a larger workforce. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You and your crew, join us. You all get a piece of the pie of course."

"We are not interested in being your drug dealers, Malachi."

"This is your last chance while I am feel charitable. Join us and no more violence."

"And follow you? Fat chance."

"Then you leave me no choice; I will keep chipping away at Riverdale. So far we've been gentle, hoping to convince you that you should turn your town over to us, but not anymore."

"You call what you have been doing gentle?" Betty said, her anger welling up inside her.

"Compared to what is about to come, honey," Penny said standing with hands in her pockets, "it sure is."

Betty felt so helpless. She couldn't stand to think about what could happen if this was what the Ghoulies called gentle. next time they probably would not stop at stabbing someone or just breaking their ribs. People were going to die. But Jughead was right, they would not start dealing their drugs. What could they do?

"What if..." she said thinking quickly, "we did something winner take all?"

"Like what Suzie Q?" Penny asked laughing. "A bake off?"

"No," Malachi said. "A fight. Ill bring my guys, you bring yours and we duke it out like men. Winner gets Riverdale."

"Say Pickens Park? Saturday. Dawn," Penny suggested.

Jughead considered this for a moment. It was a way to get out of the situation they were in, but at what cost? There would be casualties on both sides and he was not for offering up Serpent blood. "I'll bring it up to the council," he said finally.

"Bring it up to whoever you want, Jones. We will be there and if you don't show up we will maybe have to make our presence known to the whole town, not just the South side."

"I'll take that into consideration."

"Glad we could talk," Malachi said putting his hand on Jughead's shoulder and then leaning past him to used the hand to run a finger down Betty cheek. She shuddered at his touch on her skin.

Watching Malachi and Penny walk away, Betty felt herself relax into Jughead's back. He turned around and held her as she all but fainted and he put his head on hers. "Let's get you home. I have work to do."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Existentialism in Bar Fights

The council had taken Malachi's threats very seriously and the word spread throughout the ranks of the Serpents that there was going to be an epic battle and all volunteers were needed. All week the Whyte Wyrm starting filling with faces not seen around in a long time, whispering in corners over glasses of whiskey. With it being Friday and battle looming, Jughead could not concentrate in school at all. He looked across the room and he watched Sweet Pea trying to keep his eyes open. He knew he had been up late into the night, talking with his dad. He had passed out in a chair around 3am but they were still at it when his alarm went off. There was a twinge of jealousy there, knowing he had never had that much of his dad's attention but he also knew that his dad and Sweet Pea were cut from that same tough cloth. He figured it was good for him to have someone to look up to so he pushed the jealousy away. Behind Sweet Pea was Fangs who was sleeping on his balled up jacket. Their history teacher droned on and on facing the blackboard and had no idea that he did not have their attention. Betty looked the best out of all of them as he had been trying to keep her away from this whole situation.

When he met Sweet Pea that night after he had seen Malachi, he made Jughead promise to keep Betty away from he fight at any cost. When Jughead first told her that she wasn't needed, Betty had given him the look that showed she didn't believe him. He had sent out the message that all volunteers were needed and she insisted she would not be a coward and would be there to fight along the other Serpents. Finally he thought of a safe way for her to feel included but keep her busy away from what was going on and he convinced Hog Eye to hire her at the bar to help feed all of the new comers. It's kept her busy so far but he had to turn it over to someone else to keep her out of the actual battle.

Even though Betty was well rested, she was a nervous wreck. This sort of modern day Jets and Sharks rumble did not sound like the best plan but it was the only one they had. She was scared for herself, her friends, her boyfriend; no one was safe going into a head on skirmish like this and she felt like Sweet Pea had a target on his back after the conversation with Malachi. She would do anything to protect him; he deserved it, especially after what she had done to him.

She looked his was way and he was stretching back in his seat, his arms stretched way behind his head and legs straight out. Seeing him like that made his desk look tiny beneath his tall frame. She couldn't help but admire his abs before he tugged his shirt back down. He caught her staring and winked at her with a smirk. She couldn't believe he still had his sense of humor at a time like this but in a way it made her feel better.

Finally the bell rang and Betty reached for her bag to slip her books inside. Before she was out of her seat Sweet Pea appeared, grabbing her bag and put it over his own shoulder. She stood up with a questioning look and he leaned in to whisper.

"Let's get out of here," he said so quiet the tone was seductive.

"But we still have 2 hours left."

"And one of them is free period. Cut class with me. Please."

"Um..." she said looking around to see if anyone noticed their conversation. When she felt confident no one was listening she answered him, "OK."

The two walked down the hall to the sports wing and headed out through a door in the gymnasium. Betty felt weird cutting school but Sweet Pea was obviously an old pro and they got his bike so that they could get away. He leaned down and kissed her cheek before he handed her helmet to her.

"Where are we going?" she asked taking it from him.

"I just need to be alone with you. Away from all this. We've hardly seen each other and I just... hop on."

She got on behind him and held him tight as they sped out of the parking lot. She thanked God for the weird pre-spring warm up they were experiencing and that the snow had melted away so that they could go fast. She missed this; riding free and at a high speed, snuggled behind Sweet Pea and smelling in his leathers. Could this be the last time this ever happened? She prayed that it wasn't. Her spirits fell as she thought about the secret that she had been keeping, knowing she had to tell him, even against Jughead's wishes. She knew it might ruin everything but she couldn't keep it from him. It wasn't fair. If they got through this thing with the Ghoulies, she would tell him and she hoped that he had it in him to forgive her.

A half an hour later, Sweet Pea slowed his bike down in front of a building that Betty had never seen before. She hadn't been to Centerville very much aside from shooting lessons with her dad so that didn't surprise her. She got off his bike and was admiring the quaint structure as he did the same and grabbed his pannier off his bike.

"Where are we?"

"Well, it's a spa. And inn. I may have got us a room, if you are interested"

"At this cute little inn?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes? I hope you like it. I just wanted to make up to you that I was in the hospital for Valentine's Day and that I have been so busy. I mean, we haven't had a proper date in weeks."

"That is," she said pausing, "so thoughtful. Did you pack for me?"

"Yup. I may have had Toni sneak in and grab some stuff for you."

"I will have to thank her later."

They went inside and Sweet Pea checked them in. The front desk receptionist gave their jackets an odd look but if she had a comment, she kept it to herself. She gave them two keys cards and they headed to the room. When they got inside her heart melted as she saw the huge fluffy bed and the in room spa. She shook her head knowing that this was above his pay grade for sure and she just looked at him with a bit of wonder.

He broke her out of her stare by coming up behind her and taking off her jacket. She blushed thinking about him taking off more; it had been forever since they had been on a date and even longer since they had been intimate. If he did this for her, she should maybe try to say thank you in a way that he would be unable to ignore.

"We should change. There is a little restaurant down stairs and I thought we would maybe have some dinner?"

"Hmm, maybe in a little while. I was thinking about doing something else," she said as she turned and held his hands.

"What were you thinking?"

"Come here and sit on the bed."

He sat down looking at her puzzled as she knelt down in front of him. She started to unbuckled his belt and he was now keenly aware of where her mind was going.

A time later, Betty threw herself next to him where he was laying back on the bed as he was breathing heavily post climax. He closed his eyes and wondered how he got so lucky to get such a wonderful woman. He felt like this was the start to the most perfect night of their lives, because to be honest it could be their last one. No one was really acknowledging it, at least out loud, but this was not a fencing match, but an actual battle that was going to happen just mere hours from now. This was truly dangerous. He loved her so much, if things went south and something happened to him, he wanted her to have this memory of their last night together to be magical. He rolled over as did she until they were face to face. He lifted his hand and bushed back her bangs and placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered "I love you."

"Let's take a shower. Get ready for dinner."

"OK," he said rolling off the bed.

His pants were already undone, he pushed them down as she pulled her shirt over her head. He stepped to her and kissed her lips so passionately a tear fell from her eye and slid down he breast. He used his finger to dry it and she shivered. She was so full of love from him and guilt, she didn't know which emotion she was even feeling anymore. She told herself that she had to let that guilt go. At least for a few hours.

Dinner was delicious and Betty was impressed with the diverse menu. As they were getting their bill, Sweet Pea ordered dessert to get delivered to their room and Betty could only smile. She truly hoped this was not the last beautiful night he would want to spend with her but she wanted to cherish this one more, just in case this was; it could be their last good memory.

When they got back to their room, they spent time in the hot tub until the sun went down, having what Betty considered the best sex they had ever had. They got out and changed into pajamas and climbed into the big bed covered in a big white comforter. They turned on the TV and Betty put on a favorite movie, Casablanca and they snuggled down into the covers. She placed her head on his chest as they watched the movie in silence for a while when Sweet Pea had something to say.

"We need to talk."

"Um... OK? What's up?" she asked a bit worried.

"I know you are planning on coming to the fight tomorrow. Is there any way I can persuade you from going? Make you follow through on the promise you made me?"

"Sweet Pea, you know I can't do that. I will do anything to protect you. The other Serpents."

"I understand you think that, but... I can't have you there. I really can't. What if something happens to you? You know I could not live with myself if you got hurt. Or die. You know that can happen right? You can die?"

"Don't you? It can happen to you, too. That's why I have to be there. I have to do my best to protect you.."

"I can't get you to say you won't go, can I?"

"No. I love you too much."

"I love you too. Now get a little sleep. I will wake you up when we have to go."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Does it Even Matter?

Betty woke up to the sound of a door closing. She looked at the clock and saw that it read 6:50AM and she jumped up. The bed was empty and she realized, Sweet Pea was leaving her there. She grabbed her jeans and saw that there was a hand written note ripped out of a small pocket notebook on them.

 _Dear Betty,_ it read. _I had a feeling I couldn't convince you to stay away so I am sorry that I had to leave you here. I could not live with myself if anything happened to you. Please forgive me. I love you.  
_

She pulled on her jeans and shoved the note in her pocket. She grabbed her phone and put on a shirt and a jacket running out of the door, the rest of her belongings be damned. She ran down the stairs not wanting to wait for the elevator and as she ran out the from door of the inn, she could see his taillights pulling out of the long drive way. She was so mad that he did this; it felt so unfair! She took out her phone and called herself a cab to get back to Riverdale as soon as she could. She went back to the room to grab the rest of her things while she was waiting. She had no idea if she would have enough money to even pay the cab driver once they arrived, but she knew that she had to get there.

Getting to the city limits in her cab, she got out of the car and gave the driver all her cash and change, just having enough. She grabbed the bag of her things and headed to Picken's Park, not knowing what she would really find there. Her blood was pumping fast and adrenaline was rushing through her as she jogged towards the park. Coming down the street she could see a lot of people there and there was a bit of a ruckus that she could hear from as far away as she was. As she got closer she could see what exactly was happening but it felt almost surreal.

Any faces she recognized, were punching or kicking or being beat by someone from the rival gang. She scanned the sea of people for Sweet Pea and before she found him she saw Penny Peabody and she locked eyes with her. Not breaking her gaze, she kneed another Serpent in the mouth and as they fell she walked over to another person and knocked them in the back of the head.

Penny and Malachi were soon near each other and when she saw Betty coming into the scene of the melee they made a beeline for Jughead and Sweet Pea who were facing off against two Ghoulies themselves. Penny came up behind Sweet Pea and beat him in the back of his knees until he fell to them and she started choking him from behind. Betty saw this and she headed right for them. She had no plan, no idea of what she was going to do, but she could not let this happen to him. Malachi pulled a gun out of his jeans and pointed it at Sweet Pea and she could hear him saying how he should have just died when they had beaten him up before. Sweet Pea saw Betty coming towards him and with tears in his eyes he shook his head at her, hoping she would not come near or at least look away. From out of nowhere, Jughead came up from behind Malachi and punched him in the jaw. The gun flew out of his hand as Jughead wrestled the other man to the ground.

Here was Betty's chance: it almost was a scene from a movie that was playing out in slow motion. She dove and grabbed the gun and screamed Penny's name. The girl looked at Betty as she let off a round straight at her and it landed in her shoulder. She let go of Sweet Pea and held the wound and was screaming obscenities at her. As Sweet Pea got out of the way, she pulled the trigger again and hit Penny in the chest. She flew back as the bullet hit her and Betty sunk to her knees.

Even with sirens wailing in the distance, Betty couldn't hear anything anymore. Her eyes filled with tears so she coudn't see as a Ghoulie walked by Sweet Pea who was gasping for breath and kick him in the chest. As the police came closer, she felt hands on her and the gun fell out of her hands. Tears were running down her face now as she realized what she had just done; she had actually shot someone. The hands on her belonged to FP and she felt like she needed to climb in his lap and be held and he instinctively let her as if she was his own daughter. She cried into his shirt as Ghoulies and Serpents alike scattered, knowing they were close to being arrested. Jughead stood up as Malachi lay on the ground bleeding and he went to help Sweet Pea to his feet. He needed help walking over to where Betty and FP were but he kept reaching out to her until he got there. He tried to comfort her but she waved his hand away and clung to FP wailing.

She could not stop crying no matter how much she tried and she felt like she was being hysterical. She had shot someone. She may have killed someone. Who was she anymore? She had not been prepared for this, but she felt like she had saved Sweet Pea's life and that was what mattered.

Sheriff Keller arrived on the scene with a deputy and seeing that there were bodies on the ground, he spoke into his radio and ordered any available ambulance and back up to report there. He sauntered over to them, as now their group were the only people there.

"Can someone tell me what the hell happened here?" he demanded.

Jughead looked at him and only had one thing to say. "Justice."

"That is not your job, Jones," he argued.

"You don't care about what happens to us Southsiders. We had some business to take care of and now it's done. Can you arrest this man? He attacked me," he said pointing to Malachi who was starting to come to.

Sheriff Keller rolled his eyes and sighed very loudly but he did cuff Malachi and put him in the back of the cruiser. Ambulances were there now and paramedics started to walk through the grassy area looking for anyone who was still alive. A medic came over to them and asked if anyone was injured. Sweet Pea admitted he had just been in the hospital for broken ribs and he was in a lot of pain. Jughead tried to get Betty to go to the hospital too because she was obviously having some sort of mental break but he could not pry her away from his dad who now was trying to calm her down by rubbing her back.

"Who's gun?" Keller asked as he came back over to them and saw it in the dirt.

"It belongs to the guy in the cruiser," Jughead said.

"Can I get some real information about what happened here or are you going to just talk me in circles?"

FP looked up at Keller. This was someone who he grew up with, someone who had known him before his fall from grace into his life of crime. His face pleaded for mercy. "Tom. I will come down to the station and turn myself in for what happened here. Just let me get these kids home."

"You shot that woman over there?" he asked suspiciously, pointing at Penny's lifeless body.

"Yes."

"Dad!" Jughead argued but his dad gave him a look that screamed for him to shut up.

"Yes, it was me."

"OK. This is probably against my best judgement, but I will allow you to take the kids home. But I expect you to be at the station in one hour to make a statement and be held for questioning."

"I will be there."

Sheriff Keller got into his cruiser to take Malachi back to the city jail for processing. Betty still would not stop freaking out, so FP picked her up in his arms and once he got a good grip on her, he started walking to her house. He yelled for Jughead to follow him and he did, jogging to catch up.

"Why would you take responsibility, dad?"

"They will need someone to take the heat. Me? I am just an old dog who it's easy to pin a crime on. You, you are the leader now, boy. You have to take care of who is left. And I will get out of jail. I always do."

"What about Betty? I mean, she didn't do anything wrong. She shot a criminal who was going to kill someone else."

"Should I really tell the Sheriff that Betty shot Penny? So that she has to go to court and be tangled up in this mess? Her mom will actually skin me alive when she finds out that Betty was even there. I am taking the blame for that too and you will tell no one otherwise."

"OK," was the only thing Jughead could think to say.

Betty's tears were slowing down now but she still had her arms around FPs neck as they were coming up the side walk. He smelled warm and like his leathers and it was starting to make her feel safer. To FP's dismay, the lights in the house were already on and when Alice saw them coming up the drive. She burst out of the house and met them on the sidewalk.

"Oh my God, is she OK?"

"Yeah, she's just in shock is all. She saw me, um, shoot someone. It was just too much for her to handle."

"Thank goodness she's OK. That you're OK. Help me put her to bed."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Things Fall Apart

When Betty woke up in her bed the next morning, everything seemed like a bad dream. Her mom was sleeping in her rocking chair with a blanket pulled over her and she felt bad knowing her mom was going to wake up sore. She also felt the weight of her bladder calling to her, so she snuck out of bed to go to the bathroom. Upon returning her mom stirred and her eyes opened quickly.

"Are you OK?" were the first words out of her mouth.

Betty really didn't know how to answer that question. Physically she was fine but emotionally? Mentally? She felt out of control. She was still trying to come to terms with what she had done but it was getting easier now that she had slept. She knew her mom would freak out if she started unloading all of that on her so she just said she was and Alice embraced her.

"I was so worried about you. This is exactly why I did not want you to join the Serpents. You could have died; I can't believe you were stupid enough to go there."

"I'm sorry, mom. I just wasn't thinking."

"You have to promise you will never do anything like this again."

"I won't. For sure. I have had my fill for a while."

"You are lucky I don't take your jacket. You are so grounded."

"I get it."

"OK. Do you want some breakfast? I can make us something."

"Um...sure. Thanks mom."

She made her way downstairs half an hour later and Jughead was sitting at her dining room table drinking some orange juice. Her mom placed some toast down for him and put more bread in the toaster.

"Betty!" he exclaimed and jumped up out of his seat. "You're awake."

"Yeah. I'm here. Awake."

"Sit down, Elizabeth," her mom said with a glass of juice for her in her hand.

Betty took the juice and sat down. Her mom brought her toast and their landline rang, so her mom answered it and took the receiver in the other room.

"Have you heard from Sweet Pea?"

"Last I heard he was getting some more x-rays. The doctor thought he might have another broken rib."

"At least that is all it is."

"Yeah." Jughead took a sip of his juice, placed the glass down, and then sat back in his seat. "A lot of crazy shit went down."

"I know."

"My dad told the Sheriff that he killed Penny. That's the story he wants us to stick to."

"Are you joking?"

"No. He wants to put it all on himself. I told him no but he was hearing none of it."

"Does my mom know?"

"I have no idea what he told your mom. But you are safe and that is what matters."

Betty didn't feel safe. It was like everything had actually turned upside down and she was living in a bizzaroland. She had shot someone. Her boyfriend was back in the hospital. FP was back in jail. She just couldn't take it. Her joining the Serpents was a mistake.

"Jughead. I'm quitting the Serpents."

Not that he didn't understand it, but this saddened Jughead a lot. She had woven her way into the gang and it was going to be hard for him specifically for her to be gone.

"You don't have to decide that right now. You are... in a weird place."

"It's not that I am in a weird place, Jug. I can not go through this again. It's not... for me. Gang life."

"I don't think that is true. You did exactly what you needed to."

"And I hate myself for it."

"Don't. Please. Just... take some time."

"I'm grounded and I guess my jacket should be too."

Betty heard her phone ringing up stairs so she ran up the stairs and made it just in time to miss a call from Sweet Pea. She immediately called him right back and he picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, you," he said on the other line. "I am so happy to hear your voice."

"Yeah. Are you still at the hospital?"

"I am. Don't freak out but I have a concussion. And my ribs are re-broken."

"How long will you be there?"

"At least a day. I think they want to make sure my head is fine before I head home. Maybe you could come visit me later?"

"Yeah. I will. Talk to you then?"

"Yes, please. I love you."

"Love you," she said as she hung up the phone.

She went back down stairs and saw that Jughead was putting his boots on to leave. He could see she had a curious look on her face so he told her he had to go back to his side of town. What was left of the Serpent council was going to meet at the Whyte Wyrm. She told him she was going to go visit Sweet Pea later and he said he would let her know when he was free and would meet her there. After he went out the front door, she went back upstairs to her room to continue to decompress. She got into her bed and pulled the covers over her head so she could think.

This time at the hospital, Betty was not scared to see her boyfriend. Jughead waited outside in the waiting room so she could talk to him alone. She had spent the whole day thinking about exactly what she was going to say when she saw Sweet Pea. She was angry at him for lying about waking her up and scheming to keep her out of the gang fight. But she had been lying too and she needed to get it all out in the open. She knew he'd be angry when she told him the truth about what happened at the cabin and she braced herself for the worst and hoped for the best.

She walked into his hospital room and he was awake and playing on his phone. As soon as he heard her knock on the door frame, he put down his phone and reached out to her and she grabbed his hand and held it tightly. She kissed his cheek and he smiled.

"Doctor, I suddenly feel better," he said squeezing her hand.

"Hey don't look so happy; I have a bone to pick with you."

"I know. I know. You are pissed I left you at the inn this morning."

"Yes, I am severely pissed. You lied to me."

"It was for your own good. You wouldn't listen and stay out of a dangerous situation. I didn't know what else to do."

"And look what happened! You are hurt. Again."

"I know. I am really sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Right now? I can't. I have been trying so hard to internalize that you did this to protect me but I just can't get over it. I feel terrible being lied to."

How he felt about that was written all over his face. He huffed but tried to see it from her point of view; he didn't want to be mad too. "So what now?" he asked.

"Oh wait, there's more."

"You are mad at me about something else?"

"No but I am pretty sure you are going to be mad at me. I haven't been totally honest either." Betty took a deep breath. Here was another do or die moment. "I kissed Jughead. When we were at Veronica's cabin."

"Wait, what?" he demanded.

"We were drunk and... it just happened. And we just kissed, I swear."

"You just kissed," he repeated after her.

"I am sorry I didn't tell you as soon as it happened. I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't mean to."

"So we both lied to each other."

"I guess so," Betty said looking away. "So what do we do?"

"I think... We break up."

The was the hardest thing that Betty had ever heard. She had been trying to convince herself that this was another things they could get through, but who was she kidding? They were lying and keep things from each other; how could that be a healthy relationship?

"I want you to know, I am taking a break from the Serpents. I am not so sure I really belong there so you won't have to see me."

Sweet Pea stared ahead of him, not looking at her anymore. He let go of her hand and pulled the hospital blanket up a bit father.

"This is good bye, I guess," Betty said turning to leave. When she got to the door she turned around with tears in her eyes said, "I really did love you. I will probably always love you."

An hour after arriving, Jughead got a text from Sweet Pea asking him to come. He had already seen Betty leave and she had not wanted to even say goodbye to him. He was nervous as he walked down the hall. The rumor mill had already started and he had heard from Toni that he and Betty had broken things off.

"Hey," Sweet Pea said, hearing the familiar sound of Jughead approaching.

"Hey," he said walking over to the bed. He leaned on the rail at the end of it.

"So."

"So?"

"Betty told me what happened between the two of you."

"I thought she might have; and I am so, so sorry. It is totally my fault. I feel terrible because I told you that you could trust me."

"You're right. I trusted you. And you broke my trust. What kind of leader are you?"

"Sweet Pea, I-"

"I just wanted to tell you in person that I am quitting the Serpents. I can't follow a man I don't trust."

"Please, man, don't. I need you."

"You should have thought about that before you kissed Betty. Look I'm not telling everyone what you did. You can make up why I am quitting but I am seriously done. You can take that with you," he said, pointing to his jacket that was hanging up in the wardrobe. "It doesn't mean anything to me anymore."

"I will make this up to you. I promise"

"Just go, Jones. I am trying really hard not to punch you in the face."

Jughead gave him a look and Sweet Pea thought he looked like a dog who had been kicked but he really didn't feel bad. He really didn't feel anything, not anymore. He had opened his heart for the first time in a long time and look where that got him. He was done caring about anything or anyone besides himself.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Betty could not wait for graduation. With finals over, all of the seniors at Riverdale High were just going through the motions waiting for their last day of classes to arrive. It had been a lonely couple of months, no one would really talk to her besides Jughead. Toni found out what had happened between them and had disowned her for it. She was still fighting with Veronica over what happened at the lake house. Cheryl had taken Toni's side. She just wanted to keep her head down and get through the end of the year

One day, Sweet Pea just stopped showing up to school. She had been looking for his bike every day and seeing it in it's normal spot, even if they weren't together, was some sort of comfort to her. Every time she saw him in the halls she would look down until he passed and then watch him walk away. He stopped wearing his Serpent jacket when he got out of the hospital and it was odd to see him without it. If he stayed friends with Fangs and Toni, she wasn't sure; she always just saw him walking, books under his arm and walking alone.

A few weeks before the end of May, his bike didn't come to school and neither did he. She stopped Toni in the hall that day and asked if he was sick. Toni looked at her like a leper, shook her hand off of her shoulder, and walked away. Did she really think she deserved better? Not really but she had been paying her penance as a social pariah and she hoped someday someone would talk to her again.

Most day's during lunch and free period she hid in the office at the Blue and Gold and this day was no exception. Jughead ducked his head in and she felt a small sense of relief. At least he hadn't deserted her.

"How's my favorite editor doing today?" he asked handing her a soda.

She cracked it open and answered, "I'm OK. Have you noticed that Sweet Pea hasn't been coming to school?"

"I heard from Toni that he dropped out to work. I guess Archie's dad hired him."

"Oh," she said, sounding deflated.

"You still miss him a lot, huh?"

"You have no idea," she said turning back to the computer she had been working on.

"What are you writing? Our last paper has already gone to print."

"It's an application actually. For a newspaper in the city."

"What happened to State College?"

"I can't go there with Veronica and Archie everywhere I turn. Last week I registered at Columbia. I guess it was a good idea to have back ups."

"You and Veronica still haven't made up?"

"No way. The way she defended her dad to us?"

"Well you don't really have reason to be mad anymore. You don't have stakes in the Southside now."

"You still live there."

"Touche`."

The bell rang and she clicked send on her application. She grabbed her cardigan and her book back and she slipped out the door that Jughead held for her. They walked to her locker where she traded books so she wouldn't have to come back after last period.

"So what kind of job? Writing? Reporting?"

"With my luck, they will maybe let me get coffee. Or answer the phone," she retorted shutting her locker.

"Everyone starts some where."

"So true."

From across the hallways Toni and Fangs were standing together and Fangs called out to him. Toni's eyes said 'leave her or die' so Jughead excused himself with a shrug. Betty sighed and walked on to her last class of the day.

"I can't believe you still talk to her," Toni said when Jughead got to them.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because she is Yoko Ono, she broke up the band."

"But you still talk to me."

"We have to talk to you. She quit the Serpents, remember?"

"Yes. I am aware. Speaking of people who quit the Serpents, she asked me about Sweet Pea today."

"She did? Really?" she asked gobsmacked.

"Yeah; she really misses him."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Yeah. What you guys did to him was shitty, but she claimed to have loved him. She deserves to hurt."

"Toni..."

"She broke my best friend and made him quit the Serpents. I won't forgive her until he does."

Betty made it through the last hour of school by thinking about life in the city. It was the only thing that brightened her mood lately, thinking about a clean start. She could get a job in the city for the summer, it was only an hour or so away and start her new life as soon as she graduated. She had sent out a million applications in the last week and she hoped someone would call her soon. She looked at her phone before she started walking home, one voicemail.

She quickly dialed in and listened to the message and screeched to herself when she heard that is was someone she had sent in her application to last week. She called the recruiter back and booked an appointment for the next day. She was going to have to ditch school and have a very long bus ride but it was going to be worth it.

By graduation day, Betty did find a summer job. It was definitely not her first choice, but it offered her a paycheck and way to keep her out of Riverdale for the summer. She used her admission to Columbia to take a summer writing workshop and she was in love with college more than she ever thought she would be. Being in this new fast paced world was so much better than the sleepy life she had lived in Riverdale.

Now she was was sitting in the coffee shop across the street from her job listening to music and working on a poem for her workshop, when someone bumped her table and her coffee spilled. She quickly caught the cup and looked up at the culprit and was met with a pair of brown eyes, windswept bangs and a gangly frame robed in leather. Betty ripped her earbuds out of her ears because she could see he was talking.

"I am so sorry," the man said grabbing napkins and trying to mop up his mess. He was tall, very tall, and around her age, maybe a little older. He had dark hair and had a full beard with scruff going down into his high necked sweater.

"It's OK. No harm, no foul," she said still staring into his eyes.

"Can I maybe sit down with you? All the tables are taken."

"Sure, yeah," she said moving her books to her side of the table so he could put down his own cup.

He leaned back in the chair and stared at her as she went back to her work. She tried not to be self conscious her sitting there with her messy bun, no make up, and oversized sweatshirt but it was hard sitting across from him. She didn't want to stare but he was _cute_. He tapped on his cup for a few moments and then leaned across the table to engage her in conversation.

"Can I ask what you are writing?"

"Just a little something. Nothing important."

"I'm Colt by the way.

"Elizabeth. Betty."

"Nice," he said not knowing how to continue the conversation. "Do you go to school here?"

"Yeah, Columbia. You?

"Yeah. NYU."

She like the way he said 'yeah'. He had a bit of an accent but not like he was from here in New York. He had the looks but something about him just reminded her of Sweet Pea and she was trying to do everything to forget him. She pushed back her bangs and his eyes lit up when he saw her tattoo.

"That's an interesting tattoo. Where are you from, Betty?"

"Um," she said faltering. This was the first cute guy she had met since she had been there and now she got to explain her gang tattoo that she got for another guy. "Riverdale. You ever heard of it?"

"Oh yeah actually," he said laughing. "I know some guys there," He picked up the sleeve of his grey tee and she could have about died, because there on his arm was his own tattoo of a snake.

"Wait, what?" she said truly not believing her luck. "You're a Serpent? Where are you from?"

"Toronto."

That explains the accent, she thought to herself. "I actually can't believe it. What are the odds?"

"Yeah, it's crazy. I meet a beautiful girl and for once don't have to explain my sordid past."

Betty blushed. She didn't know how to do this. And him being so forward made her heart kind of hurt because that was how Sweet Pea always had been. He never apologized for who he was and she had loved that about him. "Are you still in?" she asked him.

"Yeah, sometimes. It's kind of a social club where I'm from, not like you guys in Riverdale. A bunch of us just went down for that showdown with that rival gang. Were you there for that?"

"Um, yeah."

"Damn girl, you're a boss."

"Yeah I don't really feel like a boss."

"So you're out now I guess? Hiding away in the city?"

"Something like that."

Colt looked at his watch and curse under his breath. "Shit I've got to go but can I get your number? Maybe I can call you sometime. I'd love to do this again. Or do you like music? I know a place where you can see some great underground bands, like right near here."

"It was really nice to meet you but- I'm not sure I can do that right now, I just broke up with someone." That was only sort of a lie but it was enough. Even thought she was living her new, fresh life; she wasn't ready to move on from her feelings for Sweet Pea. At least not yet.

"What better way to get over him than by letting me take you out? I promise to be nothing but gentleman."

"And a snake. I know how charming you Serpent boys can be."

"True. But I promise you will have fun?"

Betty thought for a moment and picked up her pen. "On one condition."

"Anything."

"You will let me bring a friend."

He rolled his eyes but he was getting what he wanted so he agreed. She wrote her number down on his hand and he picked up his things to go. He laughed and said he would call her soon. She watched him walk away as she put her earbuds back in. That was interesting, she thought to herself.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Confuzzlement

Colt was not happy; Betty could really tell. She had gotten a call a couple of days after they met in the coffee shop that a band he really loved was going to be playing at some club not far from subway stop where she worked. They had been texting back and forth all week and she thought maybe he was worth at least trying to go on a date with. Resigning to the fact that she had to try and get over Sweet Pea some time, she agreed to meet him. This of course caused her to make an awkward phone call to her only remaining friend, Jughead. She had to admit that she liked a guy but was too scared to meet up with him alone and she begged him to take the train into the city to be her wingman. After some teasing, he surprisingly said that he would.

Walking in to the club with a guy was not exactly what her date had expected when he said she could bring a friend and it was all over his face. She saw him wave at her across at the bar and and she elbowed Jughead so that he would see him. He rolled his eyes and grumbled that she really did have a type. He elbowed him again, hard, as they got to where Colt was standing, leaning against the bar.

"Hey, you," he said giving her a hug.

"Hi," she responded stepping back. "This is my friend, Jughead. He came in to the city for the weekend, I hope you don't mind. Jughead Jones, Colt."

"Jones, huh?" he said as put out his hand to clasp Jughead's. "I know a Jones from your hometown. FP Jones? He's a friend of my dad's. They go way back."

"Yeah, uh, that's my dad."

"Really? How's he doing?"

"Bored, mostly," he answered. He wasn't really sure how much information he should share with this stranger so he added vaguely, "He retired this last year."

"Oh yea? Who's running things now?"

Jughead cocked his head to the side questionably as Colt lifted up his sleeve and flashed his tattoo. Jughead couldn't help but smirk; Betty really DID have a type.

"That would be me."

"Well, I guess nice to meet you. Can I maybe buy you guys a beer?"

Betty held up her wrist to show off her paper wristband denoting that she had paid her cover but was under 21 and shouldn't be caught drinking. Colt laughed and pulled out a small pocket knife and took her hand so that he could cut it off and then did the same for Jughead. He then gave her an asking look and she acquiesced so he headed up to the counter.

Jughead turned to Betty with a puzzled look on his face. "Who is this guy?"

"Just a guy I met last week? He's here to go to school from Toronto."

"I'm not too familiar with many guys up there. Do you want me to do some recon?"

"I don't really think that is necessary. At least not yet. I mean, I'm just trying to get back out there, you know? My first date after..."

"Yeah. I know. But another Serpent. Really?"

"I mean; it was nice to not have him be freaked out by what I've been through. Instead of thinking I'm crazy he called me bad ass. It was... sweet."

Colt rejoined them and handed them drinks and he pointed them over towards a table in the back of the club. They sat in silence for a minute until Jughead told them he needed to hit the bathroom. Colt motioned down the hall that was on the other side of the room and he got up and left them alone.

"So," Colt said, sipping his drink, "are you trying to impress me or freak me out by bringing your boss tonight?"

"I don't see him like that. He's just my friend."

"He's not the guy you are trying to get over, right?"

She shook her head. "But after my breakup, he was the only one left around."

"Huh, well, I guess you should be thankful we met," he said scooting closer to her and putting his arm up behind her on the booth.

Betty didn't know what to say. He was nice and cute and understood part of her life that she hardly understood herself but the attraction was starting to end there. She didn't really feel anything between them as he got closer, not the way the air had felt electric when she was near Sweet Pea. On the other hand, she had been sad. Really sad. She had to move on right?

"Yeah, I'm glad we met too."

Colt smirked and rand his hand up and down her arm and shifted the conversation to the band that would be playing soon. Betty started to drown him out as he prattled on about the lead singer and which bands he had been in before and watched for Jughead to come back. Eventually he emerged from the hallway and came back to them. Colt finished off his drink and he looked at his watch, mentioning the music should start soon and if they wanted to be able to see, they should head over in front of the stage. He said he was going for another drink and asked if they wanted anything and Jughead said he would get the next round. Colt seemed fine with a free drink so he allowed him to go and Jughead weaved his way back through the now growing crowd but returned a few minutes later.

The band began Betty was surprised that she actually kind of liked them. At least he has good taste in music, she thought. He came up behind her and put his arm in front of her and started kind of dancing and even though she tried to have fun her heart wasn't in it.

More drinks were purchased during a set break and now Betty felt quite warm, maybe a little too warm, as she needed to take off her long sleeve shirt and tie it around her waist, revealing a thin white tank top underneath. Neither of the boys next to her could ignore how low cut it was or the bead of sweat that dripped down between her breasts. They also couldn't ignore as she leaned in to Jughead and started to faint.

He grabbed her and Colt also helped her stand, saying maybe she needed some water and some air. He fetched her an overpriced bottle as Jughead helped her out of the crowd so she could sit outside on the curb and catch her breath. Colt joined them a few minutes later and held the bottle to her lips and she started to feel a little better but her head was still swimming.

Colt put the water bottle up to the back of her neck to help cool her down and she showed her appreciation in how she met his eyes. His own were full of concern and as much as she wanted that to maybe mean something to her, it in the end didn't. Going home seemed like the best course of action since she felt sick anyway, but it was also an easy out to this dud of a date.

"Feeling better?" he asked, handing her the bottle of water so she could drink for herself.

"Kinda. I think I'm maybe coming down with something. Would you be totally heart broken if I call it a night?"

"No, I get it. I do. You'll make sure she gets home, right?" he asked Jughead who was already helping her up.

"Yeah. Don't worry about us."

"I'll text you," Betty insisted as she gave Colt a one armed hug.

He kissed her on the cheek before they headed to the subway. He watched them go for a minute before going back inside. At least there was still some of the show left to see, even if he was watching it alone.

In the subway car, Jughead helped Betty sit down and alternated rubbing her back and her shoulders until he felt her relax. It always worked when they were dating and he figured it was worth a try still. He felt her lean her body into his and he instinctively put his arm around her. He had to admit to himself, it felt pretty good.

Everything she had drank that night was really catching up to her now. Her head was swimming and she was thankful for Jughead hanging on to her because she felt like she might just melt into a puddle on the floor. She laid her head on his shoulder and she could smell him. It was still so familiar to her after all this time. She wasn't sure if it was him or the beer but she could feel a flutter in her stomach. 'This night was supposed to be about getting over Sweet Pea, right?' she thought to herself. She took her hand and nonchalantly put it on Jughead's leg and to him to gauge his reaction.

Jughead knew exactly what she was doing. He had seen it at the Whyte Wyrm over and over, the subtle hand. He took a deep breath and covered her hand with his and laced their fingers together. He heard her sigh and she cuddled closer into him. He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest and he hoped she couldn't hear it.

"I think this is your stop," he said realizing where they were on the subway line.

Reluctantly she got up but she did not let go of his hand. She led him through the doors of the train car and they walked silently through the mostly empty station. Going up the stairs to the street, Jughead had to catch her as she tripped and she let out a giggle. She was still really feeling the alcohol in her system but she blushed feeling embarrassed anyway.

"Cm'on," he said trying to help her along the street to her apartment.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Do you know me?

Betty had been renting a room with four other students in an apartment that they had lovingly called a 'hovel' since the semester started in an effort to not commute to the city anymore for classes and work. It was just getting so time consuming that somehow she was able to convince her mom that it would be OK. She tried to be quiet as she put the key into the lock but she kept dropping her keys and it made her laugh. She bent down to get them but also so did Jughead and when their eyes met, she knew she just had to kiss him.

She leaned forward, both of their hands on her key ring and Jughead was met with Betty's lips on his. His eyes flew open in surprise and stepped back in confusion. Her name fell off his lips as he saw want in her eyes. This was a dream, he thought to himself. This has to be a dream. He knew this could be a terrible idea but the alcohol was impairing his brain too and he couldn't think of any reasons why.

They stood up and he let them in the building. He went inside but she stood on the stoop looking at him. It was now or never he thought and after a moment he finally stepped forward and crashed his lips into hers. He kissed her hard they kissed their way into the elevator eventually to her door. The broke apart just long enough for him to put the key in the lock and pushed her back into the room. He kicked the door closed behind him and pushed her on towards the bedroom.

She sat on the bed and caught her breath, trying to process what she was doing. She really wanted this, right? She crawled up towards the pillows and she took in the sight of him. Hadn't this been the only thing she had wanted for so long? If anything, maybe this could help her erase all of the bad memories. She should do this. She deserved this. He turned off the light and climbed into her bed and laid next to her for a moment rubbing his hands over her long legs, imagining them wrapped around himself. He knew that this was his chance. With his inhibition lowered, he made the choice to kiss and she returned it with fervor and snaked her hand behind his head.

She took off her top and then undid her bra and threw it onto the floor and Jughead was instantly putting his face between her breasts and sucking them. He had never been like this before; he had always been so reserved whenever they fooled around when they were dating and had never pushed the envelope but here he was now, kissing down her stomach and sliding off her jeans. He kissed her thighs and finally landed between her legs.

If Jughead had been sober he may have fumbled at this point, having only done this once before, but with liquid courage running through his veins, he dove in and began licking between her legs. He heard her let out a moan and from having a positive reaction, he slowly pushed a finger inside her and he felt her clamp down on it hard. He now began with two and he could feel how much wetness she was emitting as she whimpered and he knew that she was ready for what would come next. Still riding on his new sense of fearlessness, he pulled off his own pants and he felt her hand touching him and the feel of her warm hand on his skin was explosive.

She was now running her hand over his body and it felt so familiar yet so strange. She had never been with him like this before and she couldn't believe how toned his body looked since he was always hidden in baggy clothes. She ran a finger over his muscled arm as he leaned over her to kiss her again. He moved over her with no warning lined up and pushed him length inside her. She kissed him harder as she felt him enter her and brought up her legs so that he could get a better angle. He pulled his face away as he began to breathe hard a she raked her nails into his back and bit into his chest and this seems to drive him on harder. Jughead began to thrust even deeper and hot her right int he spot that made her fall apart. She could hear him sputter as her own orgasm had also sent him over the edge. She felt him pull out and he spilled himself over her pubic bone and abdomen. She grabbed the sheet and cleaned herself off, then balling it up and tossing it on the floor.

Jughead threw himself onto the bed on his back and was just staring at the ceiling trying to catch his breath. Betty pulled the comforter up over herself and laid on her side to look at him. She looked at the boy that she had just had sex with and she did not know what to think. This was now the point of no return; what did she want with Jughead?

"What now?" he whispered as he laid her head on his chest.

"I don't know, honestly."

Jughead thought for a little while and didn't say anything. This was something he had wanted for so long, for Betty to consider being with him again. The timing had not been right for a long time but now, in peace time for the Serpents, maybe they could make it. If that's what she wanted.

Betty listened to the sound of his heartbeat through his chest and began breathing at it's rhythm. The thought of whether she could actually do this was racing through her mind. She had wanted Jughead for so long and now that there was maybe a chance they could get back together, the idea didn't really excite her. She'd wrestled with latent feeling through the last year but right now when she should have been thinking about how much she loved him and was ready to take the steps to get back together, all she her thoughts kept going back to Sweet Pea.

"I have to tell you the truth, Betty. I think I still love you."

His admission was met with silence and her absentmindedly tracing a figure eight on his torso. He'd expected some sort of comment; this was a big deal. It's like she wasn't even there.

"Betty? Did you hear me?"

She had heard him but she didn't know what to say. She wanted to be over Sweet Pea and Jughead was perfect for it. He still cared for her and they had a shared history. And there was still a little warm and fuzzy for here there too; there was comfort in the idea of being with him. But now that they had been intimate? It made her realize it truly wasn't what she wanted. Not anymore. She wasn't the same person she had been when they were together and she didn't want to be.

"I did. I'm just nervous to tell you how I feel back."

"Don't be. Either way, I can take it."

"I'm... I... we shouldn't get back together. This was great and everything but I'm..."

"Not over Sweet Pea?"

"Not really."

"Can I ask you one thing though? I mean it took you literally a day for you and Sweet Pea to hook up after we broke up. Did you ever love me?"

"Oh God, yes. And I think it is time you knew a secret but it is super embarrassing."

"Hmm?"

"When Sweet Pea and I started dating that night, it's because I convinced him to try and help me make you jealous. I wanted you back so badly I was going to do anything."

"Wait? What?"

"Yeah I kind of... made him an offer he couldn't refuse so he would pretend to be my boyfriend."

"But-"

"I know it was stupid. But you didn't change your mind and somewhere along the way I fell in love with him."

"And you still want him back. But not me?"

"I'm sorry, Jug. I have just been so sad, you know? And you were so caring I thought maybe I could but, I just don't."

"Jesus, am I an idiot."

"Jug! No," she said sitting up.

She didn't want to hurt him. She had never wanted that. She just wasn't that girl anymore.

"Sorry," he said exasperated. "I said I could handle it. I just read this situation super wrong."

"I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship. You are all I have."

"Naw," he said grabbing his boxers off of the floor. "I mean, I'd hoped but you can't help how you feel. I should probably sleep on the couch, eh?"

"You're OK? For real?"

"I will be. But the real question is, will you?"

Betty looked at him as slipped on his shirt over his messy hair. She wished could love him, she really could do worse; or maybe she could grow to love Colt, in time. Something to erase away how much she missed Sweet Pea and thoughts of that night that she saved him but it caused her to lose him. It was all she thought about lately and her anxiety was through the roof. Wasn't sex supposed to be a stress reliever? It sure hadn't helped and neither had the alcohol. She shook her head to tell him that she would be fine but as she closed her eyes, she replayed shooting Penny over and over until sleep finally overtook her, alone in her bed, again.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: For Whom the Bell Tolls

Betty was starting to really starting to hate riding the train back from the city. After a whole summer of commuting for a job at a basement publisher, she had spent less and less time coming home after the semester started. Her mom pretty much demanded her presence this weekend so Thursday after her last class, she hopped the train to Nyack to get a bus to Riverdale. She was nervously sitting next to Colt; honestly she wondered what she had been thinking asking him to come to Riverdale with her. Her leg bounced in her anxiousness and her gaze kept going from him to outside of the window.

He had been surprised when she brought it up, it was a little more serious than he thought she had been taking things. She always smiled at him kindly and softly held his hand when he grabbed it in what he hoped were the right moments but most of the time she also seem like she was never really present. She never really saw him with her beautiful blue eyes, it was like she was looking right through him. Every once in a while there was a glimmer, almost like she had been shaken awake and she remembered they were together and she would be back in the moment before sliding back into her thoughts later on. He had started to think she was just not that into him when she suggested he come home with her to Riverdale for the weekend. Betty was nothing like any of the other girls he had dated before except for maybe the Serpent part and he starting to really like her. He was glad that maybe she was warming up to him now that she had invited him to see where she grew up and the tyrant of a mother she was always complaining about.

Her mother was the reason that they were on this trip; Betty had gotten a call earlier in the week that her mother was planning to get married and she freaked. It was so unexpected. And quick. The ink was hardly dry on her divorce papers and now she was wedding the ex-Serpent king. Betty had said her family situation was odd and she could not handle going to this wedding without a date.

When they got off the bus, he carried her bag for her and grabbed her hand. Her hands were soaked with sweat but he still held on. He felt bad; this was a weird situation for anyone. Betty had expected her mom to meet her at the bus station but in her stead was Jughead sitting on a bench reading, for the millionth time, The Catcher in the Rye.

"That's a dangerous book, you know," she said standing in front of him.

"Well, I live for danger so," he said getting up to give her a hug. She couldn't say that she hadn't missed him but she didn't realize how much until they were here in this moment. Things had been a little rocky at first after their intimate encounter but Jughead was being very mature about his bruised ego and they had at least kept in touch.

Jughead shook Colt's hand in greeting and then they all walked to the parking lot where Betty saw that he had driven her mom's station wagon to pick her up. This seemed somewhat out of character for her mom, to lend her car to anyone, but she didn't question it out loud. This spur of the moment wedding was about to make them family, just another hurdle in her relationship for her and Jughead to jump. Colt opened the door for her and shoved their bags into the trunk before getting into the back seat. Jughead stashed his book into his jacket pocket before getting in the drivers side. Jughead started the car and turned up the radio.

Betty kept quiet, listening to the music and closing her eyes. She was glad for the noise as the silence of the town this time of night would drive her crazy after dorm life in the city. Jughead tapped the steering wheel to the beat and she cracked a smile.

When they arrived at Betty's house, Jughead got out of the car and took her bags with him to the front door. Betty used her key to let them inside and once in Betty's nose was hit with a strong smell from chocolate chip cookies. Her mother was baking and that meant one thing: she was happy.

This was not her mother. She had to have been body snatched. She had never seen her like this; almost giddy. Not over anything. She had a vacant memory of a vacation when she was young and she remembered how her mom pulled off her shoes and ran to the ocean and began dancing in the water and even this did not compare to the smile on her face now. She was totally smitten and even though Betty was surprised that her mom wanted to get remarried so quickly after her divorce, she couldn't deny that it made her happy too. Her mom was irrational, emotional, and sometimes out of control but in the end, she was her mother and she deserved to have some semblance of joy in her life.

"Betty!" She exclaimed jumping up and hugging her. She stepped back and eyed Colt up and down until he was introduced.

"Mom, this is Colt. We've been seeing each other in New York."

FP stood up behind Alice and he squinted at their guest. "Kid, do I know you?" He asked putting his hand out.

Colt clasped his hand and answered that they met when he was a kid and how he knew his dad.

"That makes you Wolf's kid? Yeah I guess I saw you when you were like, what? Ten?"

"Yeah probably?"

"How's you dad? Is he still? You know? Large and in charge in Toronto?"

"Yeah, I'm next in line," he said. "When I told him you'd retired he said he was starting to think about it too."

"Huh. Maybe I will have to give him a call sometime soon. Hopefully he did better at preparing you than I did for Jug. He's done most of it on his own."

"I've been in since I was fourteen. I'm not worried."

FP made a slight grunt in agreement as Alice continued to scrutinize the man before her. Like mother, like daughter, she thought to herself. Just can't stay away, can we?

"Um, can we maybe put our things away? I'm exhausted" Betty asked, seeing how her mom was staring at Colt.

"Yeah, yes," she replied being shaken from her thoughts, "I put together Polly's room for your guest."

Betty let out a small sigh of relief. She was glad her mom still had her old fashioned sensibilities; things with Colt had been fine and all but they hadn't quite been intimate. Or really gotten close. This weekend was a stupid idea. She should have just sucked it up and went to this wedding alone. More over, this conversation with FP had left her puzzled. There were things about himself that Colt had neglected to share and she confronted him when they got upstairs.

"Why didn't you mention that your dad was the Serpent leader back home? I feel like that's pretty big information to keep to yourself."

Colt sighed. He knew that he had been caught keeping a secret, but with him not ever being sure where they really stood, he had never felt it was the right time to share.

"It's not the first thing that I tell new people; I feel like it sends the wrong message."

"But you saw my tattoo, you should have known it wouldn't bother me."

"At first, I just knew you were a Serpent. In my defense, I have had a lot of Serpent girls try to snatch me up so that they can be queen someday. I didn't really know you. And then when you brought Jughead on our first date I realized, yeah, you wouldn't really care; I planned on telling you when I took you home that night but you got sick. And then it just seemed like a weird thing to share after we had already hung out a couple of times. I'm sorry if it hurt your feelings that I never told you. I don't want to hurt you. I like you."

"That's the first time you have told me that you liked me."

Colt fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket. He always had an air of confidence but in this moment he was showing his vulnerability. "I never know if saying stuff like that is OK with you, Betty. I don't really know how you feel about me."

Betty's cheeks blushed pink to hear his flattery and replied, "it's OK for you to say how you feel."

He took a step forward towards where she was standing leaning against the yellowing wallpaper of the upstairs hallway and brazenly stroked her cheek with a single finger. "How do you feel about me?" he asked quietly.

This frightened her more than she thought that it ever would. She liked Colt, it was true, but it was never close to how she had felt about Sweet Pea or even Jughead. How could she tell him that? I like you but I don't think I can love you like my ex?

"I, um," she stammered. She could not answer him in good conscience so instead she leaned forward and kissed him. He leaned into the kiss and when he pulled away, he seemed satisfied with her answer. He pick up his bag and turned to go to his room. He stopped and said threw a good night her way before going through the doorway. "Wait!" she called after her and followed him into his room.

Colt looked puzzled, not expecting her to follow but then his look changed to smug when he thought about the potential. Maybe she really did like him after all.

"I owe you some sort of explanation, I think," she said sitting down on the bed. He nodded and sat down next to her. She crossed her arms in front of her, almost hugging herself, shielding herself from the truth. "I haven't been myself lately. I know it. It's just when we met, I was still trying to get over some things that happened to me here. I kind of still am."

"Like your ex?"

"Yeah," Betty answered quietly. "Among other things."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Betty chewed the inside of her lip until she broke through and it bled. It was dangerous to tell him what had happened in the spring; FP had done jail time for something that she had done and it was eating her up inside everyday. She took someone's life, no matter how deserving of it Penny had been, Betty still lived with the guilt of her actions.

"Can I trust you?"

"Serpent's honor."

"If you break the code of confidence, there are two men downstairs that will literally have your head. Don't say it if you don't mean it."

"I swear; whatever you tell me stays between us."

"OK," she said looking away. How could she look in his eyes and tell him what she had done? "I shot someone."

Colt almost laughed but as he saw the seriousness in her expression his smile turned to concern. It wasn't something that he was foreign to; he'd seen people get killed. It was the way of gang war, even if it was few and far between in his city. Though. He had never pictured Betty as one who had a way with firearms.

"You're serious?" he probed.

"Yeah, I'm serious! Is that something you think I'd kid about?"

"Sorry, I just... that was unexpected."

"It was kind of unexpected for me too."

"So," he said, working it out for himself, "I think I am kind of getting it. Your house, your mom, you; this isn't normal Serpent life. Somehow you got involved in gang drama and were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Betty's lips pursed in irritation. "Don't peg me like that. I'm not the girl I was when I grew up in this house."

"I'm sure not; but... tell me. How did you join the Serpents? Help me get it."

"It seems a lifetime ago but honestly it's been a year. A lot happened in a year. It started when FP went to jail and Jug joined. We were dating at the time and-"

"Hold up. I thought you said Jughead wasn't your ex?"

"I never said that, I just said he wasn't THE ex. But I wanted to pledge because I was worried about him and on the night of my Serpent dance he pretty much forbade me from joining and dumped me. Enter my ex, Sweet Pea, who picked me up and literally saved me. Fast forward to the spring and the Picken's Park battle and there was this bitch, terrible woman who had been harassing us, was torturing him. I was watching her killing him slowly and it became clear what I had to do. I shot her and FP took the heat for it... and then I graduated and ran away to New York."

"So you saved his life and you guys still broke up? I don't get it."

"There was more to that but yeah, we ended up calling it quits and he quit the Serpents."

"So what is the problem, I guess?"

"I'm just a fuck up."

"So what? We are all fuck ups. That's why we join gangs; to not be alone in it."

"I don't think you get it. I can't stop replaying all of that stuff in my head and my heart hurts!"

"But Betty, you've moved on. At least I thought maybe you had moved on."

Betty didn't want to hurt his feelings but she was frustrated that he wasn't hearing her. She was hurting and she just wanted him to understand where her head was but he seemed to just be thinking about himself and them dating. She never should have gone here with him.

"Look, Colt. I like you; I would not have asked you to this wedding if I didn't like you. I just... I have to take stuff slow."

"And I can handle that," he said putting his hand to her shoulder. "You just have to be open to me if you want me to stay around."

"I'm trying. I promise."

"Good. Now go to bed and don't think about all that dark stuff," he said kissing her forehead.

She slumped against the wall and breathed heavily before turning in herself.

The next morning, Betty and Alice drove to the bridal shop in town to pick out a dress for Betty to wear to the ceremony. With her being the only daughter around, she of course would serve as her mom's bridesmaid. Betty made easy work of it; she let her mom make all of the decisions. But she did have to admit that she thought she looked pretty in the periwinkle tea length dress with a crystal belt. Her mom had only minor alterations to the dress she had gotten earlier in the week for herself and it was ready to be tried on.

Betty thought her mom looked absolutely stunning in the ivory sheath dress that fit her like a glove. The consultant brought her a veil without being asked and her mother snapped to have it taken away. She did not want to look like an old maid in a veil with a blusher. She had a comb designed to wear in her hair like a sensible woman, thank you very much. There was the Alice Cooper Betty knew so well.

Betty was glad her mom's new job paid well because for as small as she eluded to her that the wedding was going to be, the bills she was sure were adding up. They left the bridal shop with their dresses and headed to the caterer to pay for a cake and decor rental and then to the liquor store. Betty tried not to add it up in her head and have a sour the mood but it was hard for her to keep it inside.

That night there was a small rehearsal at their home so everyone would know where to stand. Both FP and Jughead seemed uncomfortable the whole time and it made her chuckle to herself whenever she saw Jughead roll his eyes whenever the preacher talked about things like God's plan for their lives. But no matter what, her mom was still smiling even as the employees from the caterer started setting things up and they of course were not doing it to her satisfaction.

The only part of this whole thing that made her feel uneasy was finding out the "somewhere" that they would be having reception was on the Southside. In fact Hog Eye had insisted that they come to the Wyrm; how could two of the Serpent's sweethearts get married and he not open his bar up to them for festivities? Her stomach turned at the idea of running into Sweet Pea but it also turned at the idea of not seeing him. It was a damned if you do and damned if you don't, really.

Going to bed that night, Betty's nerves were on edge but she couldn't imagine her mother's. Getting married just seemed like so much unneeded stress. Who knows? Maybe she would just be single for the rest of her life. Boys were always just trouble if you asked her.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Pas de Deux

If Betty had worried about how her mom was feeling the night before, she knew now that she was right to; her mom was freaking out. Bright and early, her mom was up ordering people around as set up for the ceremony continued. Someone came to help her with her hair, her make up and Betty's too. It was 1 in the afternoon before she knew it and guests were starting to arrive to the house. It was not the largest guest list for sure but four rows of chairs were filling up fast as the time for the wedding approached.

Betty jumped as she was tapped on the shoulder. She spun around and there were Veronica and Archie standing there, Archie holding a gift and Veronica held her purse. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the weekend at the cabin and Betty's throat went dry.

"Hey, Betty. I've missed you."

"Hey, V? Yeah, how have you been?"

"We've been good. School is great. We are great. Pity Daddy and I had a falling out but, it couldn't be helped."

"You and your dad?"

"Oh, Betty I am so sorry that I defended my dad to you. I've learned he was not who he seemed. Please forgive me? I promise to have your back from now on."

Betty's accidental scowl melted away into a smile. "Yes, of course."

Veronica pulled her into a hug and Betty embraced her back. It was going to be nice to have another friend again, especially a female one. Archie hugged her too and asked where they could put their gift. Betty pointed to a table that had a cake on it and a box for cards and gifts. They waved to her as they went to put down the box and then they joined Archie's dad and his mom in their seats. It seemed really nice of Mrs. Andrews to come all of this way for her mom's wedding since she hadn't known her to visit much. She could see Fred said something funny and his ex wife laughed; even though their relationship was over they still had a good friendship and that was pretty cool. She didn't think her parents in a million years would have that. They hated each other ever since she could remember; she really hoped this marriage would finally give her mom what she needed to be happy.

Betty glanced at Colt, who sat in the back; there was no one he knew there. If only she had made up with Archie and Veronica sooner, she could have at least tried to introduced them so he didn't have to sit there playing on his phone. As she watched and thought in the door way, Jughead came up next to her and asked her fix his tie. She had to admit, he looked good in a suit. She slid the knot up on his tie and fluffed it once it was in place.

"Imagine. This time last year we were breaking up and now we are about to be family. Life is strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "It is."

"You nervous?"

"Not really. I'm not the one getting married."

"Yeah but you are still standing up there in front of all of those people."

"Oh, great. Now I am."

"I'll be there, too. If you get nervous just imagine me in my underwear."

"Not helping."

"Fine, without my underwear!"

"Even worse," she said pinching his side mercilessly as he laughed and tried to push her away.

She was liking this development in their relationship. It was almost like they were back to being friends like before they were together and it felt good. It felt right.

FP joined them to tell them it was time for the ceremony to start. He and Jughead went outside and stood under what Betty thought was the most horrendously gaudy arch and she went to find her mom. She found her in the study pacing back and forth.

"Betty, I can't do this. I am calling this off."

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"I was stupid to think we should get married. What if he changes and everything sucks, just like your father?"

"I can't imagine it will suck. You were so happy yesterday! Why the 180?"

"I don't know. I was just sitting here and looking at all of our family pictures and seeing your dad and Polly's faces smiling back like everything was perfect when it was all just falling apart. I tried so hard to make it work but I couldn't. I'll be a terrible wife this time too."

"No, you won't. FP must really adore you. He has a tie on. He is standing out there waiting for you. If you want to marry him, marry him. If you don't, you don't have to. But don't believe what happened to our family is all your fault. Dad had his hand in things himself. And Polly was grown up enough to make her own choice to leave. No one is perfect but you are not totally to blame. Not even close."

Alice grabbed her daughter and held her tightly. She kissed her on the head and touched under her eyes to make sure there are were no tears smudging her makeup. When she stepped back from Betty she gave her a resolved look.

"OK, let's do this."

Betty thought the ceremony was beautiful. Her mom beamed as FP slid a ring on her finger and she couldn't be happier for her. It was still weird, that her mom was marrying her ex's dad but the two of them standing together looked comfortable.

Her mom had thought of everything to make this wedding the best of both worlds. FP and her mom shook hands with all of their 'respectable guests' who wouldn't be joining them at their Whyte Wyrm reception and then cut the cake. Those guests could stay and eat cake, drink coffee and socialize as they made their way to their other party.

Jughead drove her to the bar with Colt, Veronica, and Archie crammed in the back of the family's station wagon. Veronica kept telling her how pretty she looked and how much she loved her mother's dress and Betty remembered why she had even been friends with Veronica in the first place. It was just like what she had said about her mom. Not everyone is perfect, but she was trying to be better.

Getting out, Betty asked Jughead if he knew when their parents expected to get there, and he just looked awkward and answered that his dad had said not to wait for them because they might 'be a while'. The idea of them messing around before they even got to their reception made Betty blush but she had to admit, they were adults.

They went inside and they saw that Hog Eye had cleaned the bar; it even look like the floor had been mopped. It was such a kind gesture for his friend and his new wife, and it even made her feel appreciated. This was the kind of community that had made her want to join the Serpents in the beginning and it was kind of nice to see that again. Her mom had just married them into the Serpent king's family; putting on a jacket again was probably not too far off.

They loitered around and eventually went and sat at a table nearby waiting for the newlywed couple to arrive. Veronica began to ask Colt questions about himself and one thing that Betty had learned about him is that he loved to talk. She zoned out and saw a head full of purple curls entered the room and headed behind the bar. Betty thought to herself that this was probably not the event Toni really wanted to be working but she was glad for the chance to maybe talk to her again.

"So, Jughead, do you think that Toni is still not talking to me?"

"Probably not. She pretty much said she wouldn't forgive you until Sweet Pea did. "

"Well that's unlikely."

"But it might be worth trying. Maybe go get a drink. She cant ignore a customer. "

So with that Betty, headed to the bar to get a drink and see if her former friend would talk to her. Toni did not look impressed as she approached but Betty steeled her courage.

"Hey."

"Hey," was all she replied with.

This might be harder than she thought but it was still worth a try. Betty decided to use a different tactic.

"I've missed you. How have you been?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Do you want a drink or what?"

"Yeah I'll have a-"

"Give her one of mine Toni, it's the only thing I know she likes."

This came from a voice that sounded like angels singing to her. She closed her eyes and breathed deep and she could smell his shampoo and cologne. She was terrified to turn around and face him.

Toni made a puzzled face at him but did as she was told and popped open one of Sweet Pea's beers from his cooler and set it on the counter for her. "I'll leave you two alone, I guess," she said as she went to the other side of the counter.

Betty didn't reach for the drink but just stood there with her eyes closed. She heard him come next to her and assumed he was leaning on the counter.

"Do you want to not see me so badly that you are going to keep your eyes closed all night?"

"No, I..." she stammered and he put his hand to her chin. Feeling the warmth from his calloused fingers startled her and her eyes flew open. There was Sweet Pea, attractive as ever in black slim jeans and a pastel short sleeved button up. His defined arms bulged out under it as he leaned with his arms crossed in front of him. His hair was still short in the back but she felt like he was wearing his bangs longer these days and it was a good look on him. "Hi."

"Funny seeing you here."

"At a party for my mom? Or in Riverdale in general?"

"In Riverdale in general. I heard you moved to the city."

"I did but I guess I should show up to my mom's wedding, right?"

"That was today, huh?" he said casually as he grabbed the beer Toni had put out for Betty.

"That's not why you are here?"

"I live here. Remember?"

"I guess I figured..."

"That if I quit the Serpents I would find a new place to live? Sorry, sweetheart but there aren't many good places for those of us just making it to live here in Riverdale. Maybe you have been gone too long," he said teasingly.

"You seem to know so much about my life; where have you been? One day you just disappeared from school and I never saw you again."

"I got a job. FP talked to Mr. Andrews for me and I have been learning the construction business."

"But what about school? Your diploma? You were doing so well!"

"Not well enough, apparently. After we broke up I went to the counselor to see if it was too late to get into a good college. It wasn't too late because apparently I was going to have repeat the year. I had failed so many classes through the years and I was not going to graduate. So instead of dropping out Weatherbee told me that when I was 18 I could go to night school and get my GED. So that's what I did."

"Oh."

"Yeah and it's been good. But uh, I got places to be so," he said taking a sip of the beer and putting it down on the counter, "Maybe I will see you, maybe I won't, huh?"

"Um, OK. Bye?" she choked out.

"Yeah, bye," he said nodding at Toni and leaving out the back door of the bar.

Betty slumped against the bar and looked around to see how many people could have seen that while wiping away a tear. The bar was getting busier but her mom and FP had just arrived, so that thankfully kept most people's attention. Toni came over to her and put a shot of vodka in front of her.

"That was rough, girl. I would say you have been punished enough."

"Does that mean we can be friends again?"

"Yeah I guess so," she answered with a smile. "Sorry I was such a bitch."

"I forgive you. Honestly, I probably would have done the same thing. He's your best friend. "

"So, um, who's the new guy?" Toni asked pointing to their table.

"That's my date. From the city. Colt."

"He fits in around here."

"Yeah. I guess I have a type. Apparent Heir Prince to the Toronto Serpents."

"Jesus, Betty," Toni laughed. "Is this a serious thing or?"

"Not really. I just couldn't stand to come to this thing alone. I've been trying to get over Sweet Pea, you know? I know I fucked up but I still love him. So much. Colt's great and everything but there is no, I don't know, spark?"

"Huh," she said looking down as her phone vibrated in her pocket.

"Yeah."

Betty downed her shot and Jughead came over to retrieve her for dancing. Apparently the maid of honor and the best man were going to join in on the first dance. Toni heard this and also poured Jughead a shot which he took laughing. "It's like you know me," he joked as music played and she dragged him to the floor. They stopped a few feet from Alice and FP and Betty put Jughead's hand on her waist. He grabbed her other hand and they started swaying to whatever sappy love song her mom had chosen for her first dance. She laughed at Jughead as he stepped on her foot and he chuckled too knowing it would probably not be the last time.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Confessions

Sweet Pea hung around outside the back door for a moment and breathed deep. That went better than he thought it would but he still felt mortified. He had shared all of this information about himself that he hadn't intended to tell her. He wanted to seem cold and uncaring like it didn't bother him to see her but his heart made him get all weird. He had had been dying to see her, he had been working on himself and he was really ready for a relationship but he couldn't move on. She had ruined him. He tried to pick up girls but no one held his interest anymore. The girls that hung around the Southside looked at him differently since he turned in his jacket and the girls at school looked at him differently too. He could occupy the night with someone but there was no one he could talk to. No one who really understood who he was and supported him. Not like Betty.

He took out his phone and texted Toni to see what she was saying about him. He hoped and prayed that it was positive. He waited for what seemed like an hour but was in reality only a few minutes and his phone finally chimed. He pulled it out and mulled it over and clutched it in his hand. He didn't want to look but his curiosity got the best of him and he peeked. The message said, "She brought a boy but she's not serious and you have a chance. Don't fuck it up."

"Shit," he said shoving it back in his pocket. A guy? She brought someone; he hadn't planned on that. He leaned against the building and closed his eyes and felt the cool siding through his clothes. It was starting to be maple season and he knew that the cold would happen soon but it wasn't enough to dry the sweat from his brow. What was he going to do about the other guy?

He looked in the dingy window and could see Betty dancing with Jughead and then a stranger with dark hair came and cut in. That must be her date, he thought. If he squinted the guy almost looked him, if he was a hipster douche bag. The beard was too much for him to handle and he clenched his fist as he watched. The man held her closer and used his hand from her back to lay her head on his shoulder. She didn't smile and laugh the way that she would when they were together. There was no way she really liked this guy. He was just a place holder, maybe even for himself. He made up his mind, he was going to rescue her.

All of a sudden Colt's smile left his face and he stopped moving in time with Betty. She could hear that familiar voice behind her. "Can I cut in?" it asked. Betty turned slowly to Sweet Pea, knowing his exact location because now he was so close that she could feel his body heat.

"I don't think so, pal," Colt answered. "She's my date."

"Let's leave it up to her then," Sweet Pea said.

Betty didn't know what to do. Here she was smashed between at her past and her present and both felt scary. She didn't really have feelings for Colt but what kind of heartbreak would dancing with Sweet Pea bring?

"It's OK, Colt. He's an old friend."

He looked at her in surprise but he stepped away anyway. It was the gentlemanly thing to do. Sweet Pea tentatively took her hand and she placed the other around his shoulder. He brought himself close to her by tugging her with his other hand on her waist.

"You came back for me?" she asked out of breath.

"Yeah, I don't know. It just felt like the right thing to do. Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not mad."

"Your boyfriend looks pissed."

Betty looked over to Colt who was standing at the bar waiting for Toni to get him a drink. If looks could kill, the wooden counter would be dead. She knew he liked her. He was always trying to impress her when they went out but still, there was nothing. Not like how it was touching the man she was dancing with. It was all there again, just like no time had passed. It felt like the air was humming around them and an energy ran through them where they connected. The sound was so loud she could hardly hear herself think.

"He's not my boyfriend. Not really," she said, saying the first thought that came out of her brain.

"But he came with you from New York?"

"Yeah. He did. I didn't want to come to this thing alone. You know, weddings are supposed to be all about happiness and love and I was just sad."

OK, OK, he thought. So Tony is right; she's not in love with this guy for real, maybe there is a chance.

"I was ready to forget you, you know? After you told me about kissing Jughead. But I couldn't and I still can't."

"So what are you saying?"

"Look, I had to figure stuff out on my own; become my own man outside of the Serpents. Outside of my relationship with you. And I've done all of that but I can't stop thinking about..."

"What?"

"How much I still love you."

"You do?"

"Oh yeah. I figured it out right after my first fifth of whiskey when you left me."

"I still love you, too," Betty confessed. "So what do you want to do about it?"

Sweet Pea did not answer but scooped her up in his arms and began to fireman's carry her off the dance floor. She screeched as it startled her and she blushed hard as all eyes were on them again. "Sorry, everyone," he said loudly and waved. "The maid of honor has a previous engagement and might be indisposed for a while. No need to send out a search party." Again there was a 'whoop' and she was so embarrassed she did not want to even see her mother's face because she was sure she was horrified. Or Colt's. Oh, God, she thought. He must hate her now for sure. But she couldn't help this. This was love. It was like she had been sleeping these last few months and now she was awake.

Sweet Pea spun her around and indeed, her mom did have a shocked look on her face but instead of yelling, she grabbed FP's hand and squeezed. He patted her arm to reassure her and then gave a hidden thumbs up to them before Betty was carried away down the hallway to Sweet Pea's room.

Sweet Pea threw Betty down on his bed and was on her in a second, kissing down her neck and biting her shoulder. She put her hands on his chest and held him away from her and he bit at the the air as a joke and gave her a huge smile.

"What?" he asked trying to get back to kissing her

"I think we need to talk, don't you? We have seen each other in months."

"What do we need to talk about?" he replied as he grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms over her head.

He sucked on her neck viciously and her mind emptied. She fought to keep her mind steady even though it felt amazing to feel his mouth on her again. He now was using only one hand to keep her arms held up and hiked up her skirt with the other. She felt his fingers moving her panties to the side and she pulled it together long enough to say his name insistently. This did make him stop and he searched her face for what was wrong.

"Please, talk with me, " she pleaded and he let go if her hands.

He sat down next to her on the bed and put his hands in his lap to show he was going to be a good boy but he didn't want to talk about this. He had been dreaming about her all summer, imagining what would happen if they bumped into each other some time in town. He had sorted out his stuff and it made himself the kind of man who that Betty deserved. He missed her so much. He knew she hadn't meant to hurt him; everyone makes mistakes and as he had it in his heart to forgive her. When he never saw her again, it ripped his heart out.

"I mean, it's a lot to process, isn't it? Me loving you doesn't erase what happened between us. I hurt you, really badly."

"Betty. It's OK. Yeah I was really hurt but I've had time to think about things and I'm not mad anymore."

"I just want to say that I am so sorry. I don't feel like I deserve your forgiveness."

"Even if you didn't deserve it, you have it. I do forgive you. I should have been prepared that you probably had unresolved feelings for Jughead. Think about how we got together in the first place. Not that what you did was OK but-"

"I know. And I should have been more careful, too. It was like... it was happening before I even realized what was going on. I promise you though; it is totally over between Jughead and me. The only person I love is you. I've been trying to move on and I haven't."

"While we are pouring our hearts out here, I guess I can say it's been the same for me too. I have still been thinking about you a lot."

"So do you want to give it another go or do you think we had our chance and blew it?"

"I thought I made that obvious when I brought you in here to defile you," he said leaning in and kissing her.

"It's going to be harder this time, you know? I have to go back to school tomorrow."

"Does the train still run to New York City?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then we can make it work. You just have to promise me one thing. From here on out, I am the only one. I couldn't take you cheating on me again. I'm not built that way. I've never let another girl in for that very reason, hell I didn't mean to let you in, you just snuck up on me."

"I absolutely promise."

An hour later, the two of them emerged from Sweet Pea's room so they could rejoin the party. Betty did her best to retouch her make up and fix her hair but she felt like she was still a little rumpled. Even if it wasn't for her looks there was no way people wouldn't be able to guess what had happened in that room because of the huge smile that Sweet Pea had plastered all over his face. Their hands were intertwined as they headed out to see her friends who Betty hoped hadn't left while she was gone. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw Veronica and Archie were still there, standing over at a table talking with Jughead. Colt was nowhere to be seen.

Sweet Pea tapped Jughead on the shoulder and he asked him to follow him to the the bar. Jughead looked to Betty and she shrugged he shoulder so he picked up his drink and followed him. When the boys had gone, Veronica squealed and demanded that Betty tell her everything.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Betty said coyly.

"Oh my God girl, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about! Was this the first time you have seen each other since graduation?"

"Since before graduation.

"And there were, sparks?"

"I'd say. I never stopped thinking about him."

"He hasn't stopped thinking about you either, Betty," Archie added. "He's been working for my dad and he always round about brings you up to see if I'd heard anything about you."

"So romantic!" Veronica said squealing again.

"Speaking of romance, have you seen Colt? I'm sure he's super pissed at me."

"Yeah, I don't think he was too happy. He got shit faced at the bar and then went outside."

"This is going to be an uncomfortable ride back to the city."

"Maybe he already left?"

"I don't think so. His bag is still at my house." _Crap._


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: In Unity, There is Strength

Jughead looked down at the bottle of beer that Sweet Pea had handed him and tried to his fingers through the pale amber liquid. This was the first time that they had talked since that day in the hospital. He had no idea what was about to go down, he just hoped they weren't about to have a fist fight at his dad's wedding reception.

Sweet Pea leaned against the bar and sighed before he began. He had to lay it all out for Jughead now, too. He had so many opportunities to bury the hatchet because Jughead was around him every single day. He was finally ready to forgive him.

"I've been thinking a lot lately, man," he said, taking a drink. "I wanted to, you know, say I am sorry. I think I fucked up."

"Um, OK? What are we talking about here?"

"I quit on you. Walked out on my family. It was not the right thing to do. I was just so hurt by you, man. I was heartbroken."

"It's my fault, Pea. You were right. I was the leader, you should have been able to trust me, rely on me. And worse, I was a shitty friend. To both you and Betty. I let shit get in my head' I guess I really wasn't over her."

"I get it. I don't blame you anymore."

"So what is this? Amends?"

"Can we be friends again?" Sweet Pea said extending a hand to him.

Jughead shook it but answered "No." Sweet Pea gave him a quizzical look as Jughead added, "Brothers. Whether you wear your jacket or not, we are still family. We're good."

"Good. The thing is though, I want to try and work things out with her; I have to ask, you are sure everything is over between you and Betty?"

"Yeah I think she made it pretty clear she is no longer interested in me," he said shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Do I want to even know what you mean by that?"

"Uh," Jughead stammered. Shit, he thought. This was probably the last thing that Sweet Pea needed to hear, but no more lies. "We hooked up once and it was terrible. She told me it was just her trying to get over you."

"That's something, I guess."

"Don't let it bother you. Not like you were sitting on the bench this whole time."

Sweet Pea frowned. Everything is always complicated. Jughead was so right about that. He had slept with any girl that came his way over the last few months, just trying to bone Betty out of his system. He was just going to have to let that go too.

"You're right. We were broken up; whatever happened then, just happened. It's all in the past now."

"Some of the past is hard to let go of. I have to warn you, Betty is not the same person she was before. She acts different. Like she's... haunted."

Sweet Pea cocked his head to the side and took another sip of his beer. Haunted? What could that even mean? Jughead saw the questions in his eyes and continued on.

"We've been texting, you know, off an on since she went to the city. She needed to get away, to try and process everything that happened. But I will tell you one thing; There are two people that she has not been able to get out of her mind. One of them is you, but the other one is Penny. It's like even though she knows Penny deserved it, she can't let go that she killed her. It's like, it has eaten away at her spirit. Seeing you here was the first time in a long time I have seen her smile for real. I think it's been really tough for her."

"I really suck, don't I?"

"What do you mean?"

"All I cared about was that it was over. I never even considered what she was going through."

"You are here now and she is still going through it. I just hope she will let you try to help her. God knows I've tried."

"I'll do what I can. I love her, you know?"

"I know, man, I know," he said punching him lightly on the shoulder.

Sweet Pea cracked a smile and laughed and then took another drink. He would never, ever admit it, but he had missed Jughead. At least a little. They had made a great team; hopefully they could still make a friendship work when they didn't have the Serpents in common anymore. He finished off his drink as he saw out of the corner of his eye that Betty was grabbing her shawl and heading out of the bar. He wondered where she was going but he thought better than to follow her; she hadn't asked him to come.

When Betty got outside she saw that Colt was sitting out on the back deck alone smoking a cigarette. She hadn't known that he smoked. AS she approached, he threw it down on the ground and stamped it out before standing up, hands in his suit coat pocket.

Betty was embarrassed by how she was treating him; he had come to Riverdale because she asked and she had told him that she had an open mind about their relationship. And then she left him to go hook up with her ex. He had every right to hate her in this moment and the way he was looking at her, she surmised like that was exactly how he felt about her.

He kicked a pebble around in front of him for a moment before clearing his throat. "I'm assuming that was the guy."

"Yeah," she said sheepishly, repositioning her shawl around her shoulders.

"You guys are getting back together?"

God, she thought, this was murder. Could she twist the knife harder? "Yeah."

He pursed his lips and shook his head in disappointment. "He's lucky that I am a gentleman. Most Serpents would kick his ass for being dishonored by another, you know? It's a dick move."

"In his defense, he didn't know about you."

"You should count yourself lucky, too. Crossing me is unwise."

"Colt!" she exclaimed, scared.

"Don't worry; I will not start anything with you. At least not right now. But you are close to making us, your brothers, an enemy."

"Colt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you."

"It's too late for all of that now. I think I am just going to hitch to the train station. Do you think you could come with me to get my bag?"

"Um, yeah, I guess."

"It's weird now; isn't it?"

"Yeah. Maybe I can get Jughead to take you instead? And he could take you to the train."

"Yeah, that might be better," he said.

She went inside and found Jughead, who was now joking around with Sweet Pea and Toni. Of course, Jughead agreed to take Colt; Betty told him exactly what Colt had said about them potentially not being friendly with them in the future and Jughead said he would try to smooth things over. He told his dad that he had to work and he understood, saying good bye. Colt loitered in the doorway as Jughead went back to the office to trade his suit coat for his leathers.

When Jughead arrived back at the reception an hour or so later, things were winding down but he was at least able to say things with Colt had gone well. On their ride, they had realized they had a lot in common and had come to an understanding. Jughead went out on a limb for Sweet Pea, saying he truly had meant no dishonor, he was just nursing heart break. After cooling down, Colt knew he was right and even though it hurt to admit, he knew Betty was going through the same thing. Before he boarded the train, the two men exchanged numbers just in case they needed each other's back someday and then shook hands. Jughead felt that it was a sincere gesture and even though the other man's hand maybe lingered a bit longer than it should have he left with sense of accomplishment and an eased mind.

Jughead saw his friends hanging out in the parking lot as he pulled in and headed over to join them after putting the station wagon in park. They told him that his dad and Alice were getting ready to head out for their week at Niagara Falls and they needed the stash of bubbles he had been keeping in his office. He quickly retrieved them and without a second thought he grabbed something out of the closet and slung it over his shoulder.

"Ouch," Sweet Pea chirped five minutes later when he was blindsided in the face. Something warm and familiar was sliding down his chest when he was able to finally see it, he realized it was his old jacket and there was Jughead walking past him like nothing happened. Betty busted out with a loud giggle as she saw the puzzled look on his face.

Jughead put down the box of bubbles and shrugged. "It doesn't feel right just hanging in my closet. You can put it on. Or not. It's still yours."

"Thanks, man," he said looking at it in his hands as the inner thoughts started.

He knew what it meant if he put it on. He was back in the club and everything was back to normal; but did he really want to go back there? He was doing OK on his own. He paid his rent. He was learning a trade. He was going to work on things with Betty. What else did he really need?

In the distance there was a loud bang that startled them all. Veronica all but jumped in Archie's arms as the rest of them turned towards the sound. Flames blazed not too far away in the direction of Sunnyside. They all looked at one another and they all silently agreed to go and see what had happened at a run.

Rounding the corner, Toni was the first to know what had happened when she saw the blown out windows of the trailer engulfed in flames. "Drug lab," she whispered. On the ground in front there were words spray painted across the sidewalk: This is your only warning.

"I thought the Ghoulies or whatever were gone?" Archie said looking to Jughead.

"They were supposed to be."

Veronica's lips parted in nervousness. "I don't think it was Ghoulies. I think it's my dad or someone who works for him. Telling you he is in charge of the South Side. All of Riverdale."

"That. That is not happening," Jughead replied.

"What are you going to do, Jug?" Toni asked him still mesmerized by the sight in from of them.

Jughead balled up his fists in anger before grabbing off his hat and turned away. He let out a yell that echoed throughout the mostly empty trailer park. He turned back around to look at his friends. He couldn't let them down.

The girls didn't even have to look at each other. They took a step forward and Toni spoke for them, "Whatever you are going to do. We are in."

Jughead felt relief and nervous at the same time. Toni and Betty, they needed him to be their strong leader. All of the South Side did.

"Us too. Someone has to stop my dad," Veronica said.

There was only one person there left who hadn't spoken. Jughead looked in Sweet Pea's eyes last to see what he was going to do. He couldn't blame him if he wanted to sit this one out. They had just gotten out of one conflict and he finally had his stuff together.

Without breaking eyes contact Sweet Pea took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. He slipped on the jacket he had been holding onto, tighter than he had realized, and gave Jughead a determined look back. He stepped up and grabbed Betty's hand. "What do we do? We go to war. Together."


End file.
